Back to Work!

Yep....

I know two post within a few days isn't normal for me, but it's back to working on my own novels while waiting for Outcast Ops: Watchlist to get through the editing pass. I spent the weekend preparing and pitching for a project related to a gaming company. (My other blog covers that side of my writing). So, I'm back to working on outlining my stories....

... If I can find where I stored them.....

I found the outline for The Assassin Prince, but the other two are eluding me at the moment. I'll find them, but for the time being, I'm back to outlining The Assassin Prince.

Its odd, rereading your outline and seeing what threads you need to pick back up and get back into the flow of the story you were telling. I find it gratifying that after not looking at the outline in a few months, how well the story still holds together. In rereading it, I've only had to make a few spelling corrections so far and starting a new chapter to outline. We'll see how it goes....

As I sit here, I'm going to propose a question: what do you want to know about my writing? Comment below and let me know someone is reading this blog! 

******

The writing update

The Assassin Prince (Fantasy) --- Outline (through Chapter 32)
The Darkness of Shadows (Science Fiction) --- Outline (through Chapter 16) *ON HOLD*
Operation: Broken Chains (Thriller) --- Outline (through Chapter 20) *ON HOLD!*

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored with Rick Chesler are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one). Also check out the other Outcast ops novels. Outcast Ops: Game of Drones and Outcast Ops: The Poseidon Initiative. Watchlist should be up soon!

In addition, Both Red Ice and African Firestorm are audiobooks! If you're member of Audible, you can listen to them free! The audio versions can be found here:Outcast Ops: Red Ice (Audible) and African Firestorm (Audible)

Please read or listen and leave a review!

Later!

Outlining, My Way.......

Here I am again. It's been a good week, and I hope those of you who celebrated Easter had a good, safe Holiday. For everyone else, I hope you had a good weekend.

*******

I have been for years a guy who writes stories on the fly. I haven't been a plotter, at least not until the Outcast Ops novels that had to be outlined so both Rick and myself knew where the story was going.

I have tried a few ways in the past to outline novels,but when it comes down to it, the way I think is working for me best is what I call "Chapter Summery" Method.

That means sitting down and start with Chapter 1. I summarize what happens in that chapter. Depending on how much thought I put into it, the summery may be a single sentence, a paragraph, or several paragraphs. But now I know what happens in Chapter 1. I move onto Chapter 2 and repeat and continuing, summarizing what happens in that chapter. If I suddenly have an idea for a subplot, it's just a matter of going back to earlier chapters and adding the foreshadowing or the subplot threads. Once I'm through the whole  story, I go back and look at each chapter. I expand the summery, adding plot points, characters, and changing things to improve the story's flow.

I'm not bothering with a lot of detail at this point. I'll generally describe the action (A shoots B and C, C goes out the window), but don't go into detail about what B and C are wearing or what they look like. Locations are the same way -- I give it a name, and don't bother describing it beyond that unless there's a reason to. Also, I use a mix of character names and placeholder names when writing these summaries. Once I have chosen a name that fits the character better than the placeholder name, I use the WP's Search and Replace function. But that usually happens after the first outline draft.

In addition, each outline file has notes at the bottom --- bit and pieces of background, things I need to research, questions I need to find the answers to, ect. Things that don't fit directly into the story, but are part of the story. For Darkness of Shadows, I already have about a page worth of notes about this planet, it's technology, and the society on it. The other two have a half-page of notes. If I have a thought or question white outlining --- it goes under notes.

So, that's how I'm doing it --- summarizing chapters and using them to build the story. It's bringing free writing and putting into a usable structure. It may not work for you, but it works for me.....

*******

And the writing update:

The Assassin Prince --- Outline (through Chapter 26)
The Darkness of Shadows --- Outline (through Chapter 11)
Operation: Broken Chains --- Outline (through Chapter 16)

When I say "Through Chapter X," That means completed chapters. Each of the novels has partially outlined chapters which are not included in the totals above. Any feedback will be welcomed.

*******

Both Outcast Ops novels I co-authored are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm is here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! Red Ice is here: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK! For anyone else, please check your country's Amazon Website (if there is one) Both novels have been on the upswing on the sale charts this week, so they are still being read. Please read and please leave a review!

Craig

2016 Writing Resolutions

I have been less of a writer than I should be.

I went looking on this blog for my 2015 Resolutions....

And found out I hadn't written one.

In fact, between July of 2014 and April of 2015, I didn't write a single blog post. Not a single one!

Now, my blogging has gotten better over the last two years -- average better that 40 posts a year, but still, that's less than once a week. Which leads to the first of a 2016 writing resolutions:

Write more blog posts!

That means, starting today, I will write at least one blog post a week. I aim to post on Mondays for sure, but once a week is firm. If something comes up I want to comment on, or I have a glut of posts waiting to go, I'll post more than once a week. I also intend on expanding the sphere of comments to objects like Book reviews and comments on the industry from my (very limited) viewpoint. The problem is there's a lot of stuff out there, a storm of "how-to" books, blogs, podcasts and websites, and navigating that is going to be tough. But I will try.

So, I start today with this blog (If you've been following me, I have a second blog devoted solely to the Battletech universe and my writing in it.) in really sitting down and writing.

Two Novels!

I unexpectedly found myself as the co-author of two novels in 2015.

The opportunity came out of the blue when Rick Chesler posted on Facebook that he was looking for co-authors for a new series of his. I responded and from that came the two novels in 2015, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm and Outcast Ops: Red Ice. While this was a joint effort, I did learn a lot about writing outside of the box I was in. I learned to research locations, using Google maps to get a feel for places I'd never been to. I learned a few things about my writing I needed to improve on, things I hadn't realized were problems. I also learned to structure my story, and how to insert a few scenes (or a full chapter in Red Ice) that weren't in the original outline. In the end, I have two novels under my belt, and they've been pretty well-liked by readers.

Which means I'm ready to strike out on my own. The Outcast Ops series is on hold for the time being, as Rick has to devote his time to other writing projects. So, It's time for me to go solo.

The two novels I'm targeting for writing this year are The Assassin Prince, a fantasy novel and the first of a series of Techno-thrillers with sci-fi elements, called (Tentatively) Operation Shattered Chains. The Assassin Prince is up first, as the second is right now just a couple of ideas that need to be worked out a bit more before going forward with that.

More Short Stories

Most of my work has been in the area of short stories. With only two Battlecorps stories published in 2015, I need to up my output there. That means finishing Battletech stories and submitting them. I have a number of first-draft or partially written Battlecorps stories, along with a rack of ideas that have yet to make it from my mind to paper. The goal is to see six Battlecops stories for 2016.

I also want to write a few non-Battletech stories and maybe self-publish them up as part of an anthology series. I have several universes fighting for attention in my head, so maybe the best way is to release them in short stories and see if any of them catch fire with readers. Maybe two volumes in 2016? We'll see.....

Write!

All the above is pie in the sky unless I actually sit my butt down and write. I'm aiming for 1,000 original words a day, five days a week, so 260,000 words for 2016. The updated word count will be part of this blog starting Monday. That means 1,000 original written words a day -- that won't include rewrites, blog posts, or outline notes --- but a thousand words of a story, short story, novel, whatever.

I will use this blog to keep me motivated and force me to keep at it.

*****

Those co-authored novels I mentioned are on Amazon and are both part of the Kindle Direct program.For African Firestorm go here: Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon! For those in the United Kingdom, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm on Amazon UK!! For Red Ice: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon UK!
So, that's the start of 2016, welcome to a new year!

Craig

A Writer's Observations: What to write?

First, if you don't read  Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Business Musings blog post she does every Thursdays, do so, Go here: http://kriswrites.com/ click on the "Business Resources" tab, and the Business Musing link is right at the top. She back to writing about the business of writing, and like her previous series, under the "Business Rusch" banner, I believe they are important topics from someone who knows the publishing business like few do. (Don't forget her husband, Dean Wesley Smith, who's website can be found here: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/ He's just posted the first two chapters of his work in progress, HEINLEIN’S RULES: Five Simple Business Rules for Writing.)

Anyhow, the last couple of weeks, Kris has been discussing what a writer should write; Do you try and chase public opinion and write what is hot, or do you maintain your cool and write what you want to write?

My own view on the question is simple: Write what you want to write.

The problem with chasing what is hot is that trends will cool off, and what was big last month isn't this month. You can't chase after that's hot --- it's like a dog trying to track a rabbit, but being distracted by other smells, and running from one scent to another, only to be distracted by a stronger scent. All that's going to happen is the dog is going to get tired running to and fro and won't find the rabbit.

To chase after what is hot simply because it's hot is a fool's errand. Unless you like the sub-genre in question (Say, for example Vampire Romance), writing is going to be a pain. You have to waste time reading novels from the genre, to get a feel for it, work out the plot so it fits the genre, write in a style that fits the genre, then publish it, all the while hoping the fan-base hasn't moved onto Werewolf Romance in the meantime. Of course, if Vampire Romance is a genre you like, it because easier to write that sort of story, just don't expect to beat Twilight novels in sales.

Which leads me to the following statement --- "The best-selling writers don't follow trends: they set them."

Simply put, those writers set the trends, while others follow along, trying to grab onto the coat-tails of those trend-setters. For every unique novel setting a trend, you have half a dozen, a dozen, a score of authors putting out their own version of that original novel. The Harry Potter novels are a prime example, as are the Twlight novels. Look into each genre, and you'll see others trying to capture the same magic (and money) as those big-name novels. Some succeed, most fail.

But unless you like writing that genre, it's more chore than craft. Writing something you don't like to read is a chore. A woodworker who doesn't like working with wood will produce crappy wood items -- the parts will be uneven, the legs won't be the same length, and the pieces put together poorly. Same thing with any other craft work -- unless you like it, the product produce will always be inferior to someone who loves what they do.

The same thing applies to writing -- unless you love reading the genre, writing in that genre will be a waste of time. The product will be inferior, and time, money and energy spent working on it will be wasted. It also starts to burn out the creative juices as you try to force yourself to write without enthusiasm. Do it enough times and you become an ex-writer or a failed writer.

If I can't generate any enthusiasm for a story, I won't write it, simple as that. The two Outcast Ops novels I co-wrote were a task, but if I had not enjoyed the genre, I wouldn't have been able to hold up my end of the partnership. That's why anything I write and publish is something I loved to do, be it genre or universe. No sparkling vampires, no bodice-rippers, and no profound slice of life novels for me. That isn't me.

Well enough trying to sound profound --- Kris does it much better, so go read what she has to say.....

Short update on The Assassin Prince; Nothing new on the outline, but some thoughts about the background has been percolating. The fun thing about fantasy novels is that you can take bits and pieces from different times and places, mix them together and produce a unique civilization for your story. I'm already considering parts of the Roman Empire, 15th-17th Century Europe, and 15th Century China, with sprinkling from other eras. Nothing firm yet, needs to brew a bit more. In the meantime, I'm working on Battlecorps stories to sooth my writing urges.

If you want to read the novels I co-authored, African Firestorm is on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Direct program. African Firestorm on Amazon! For those over the pond in the UK, click here! If you want to read Red Ice, it's also part of Kindle Direct program: Outcast Ops: Red Ice on Amazon!. and for those in the UK, Go here!

Later,

Craig

Red Ice is done!

Well, at least my first run through it......

The revision is done and I sent it off to Rick Chesler to add his part of the story. He'll go through, note what he sees as problems, list questions he wants me to clarify, makes his additions to the story, then send it back to me for my review. Which means with a little luck, Red Ice will be in the Amazon Kindle store by the end of September!

This novel is longer than African Firestorm --- 80,000 words or so, in comparison to Firestorm's 65,000 words -- and takes place in one city (See the picture above.) It didn't start out that way, but the story didn't fit into the smaller word count. After discussing it with Rick, we decided to try for 80,000 words --- and that's what it ended up as.

Why is it longer? For one, there's more action in Red Ice, on both sides of the table. After some discussion, there was some altering to the outline, but it did add more action. I was willing to increase the length, because I want to see if I could sustain the story for another 15K words. And I think I have!

As I wait to hear back from Rick, I'm working on other projects. Once Red Ice is out, I'll talk about the writing process more and maybe even answer some questions about writing.

And for the snapshot of AF's current standings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#170,808 Paid in Kindle Store
#482 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military
#1129 in Kindle Store > eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military
#1256 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Military

While that doesn't look like much of an improvement, it's only because I caught it on the downside. The last three weeks have been up and down -- as low as #368,051 (August 30th) and as high as #56,604 (September 11th) On September 14th, it was ranked at #57,154. Sales are still steady, so we shall see.

As for overseas.....Amazon.uk

#85,096 Paid in Kindle Store

#277 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Military
#1438 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Thrillers > Action & Adventure
#1601 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military

Again, higher than last time.......

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is on Kindle Direct! Use this link! African Firestorm on Amazon! For Amazon UK, click here! And please check out the other two (soon to be three) novels in the series!

Back to writing!

Craig

Write What you Love to Read

One of the reason why I signed on to write an Outcast Ops novel is because it is the type of novel I love to read. Action thrillers are a large part of my personal library. Which leads me to the point of this blog post: Write the type of book you want to read.

Too many authors want to write the Great American Novel. Which is fine, but most people don't read great American novels. Instead, they read Tom Clancy because they love techno-thrillers, Clive Cussler because they love his roller-coaster rides of adventure, Jim Butcher for his urban paranormal and fantasy stories, and David Weber for his Space Opera. None of these successful authors are writing Great American Novels; instead, they write novels that are great.

I started writing via fanfiction. Fanfiction, done right, is a great proving ground for aspiring writers, because these authors write stories about series they love. It doesn't matter what sort of series --- I've written anime, Doctor Who, and Battletech fanfiction, and cut my teeth on writing Star Wars fanfiction (Never completed any of the early stories). Most writers are readers who read fanfiction and decided to see if they could either write something as good or better than the story they read.

Some fanfiction writers stick close to the canon style and aura, while others strip away most of the show's aura, change most of the details and take the characters off in a completely different direction. Personally, I always tried to wrote as close to the series as possible and always in series I like and knew well enough to write in. Authors learn and sharpen their skills as they write about characters they know and love (Yes love -- I don't know of anyone who writes fanfiction seriously who writes in series they hate.)

When a person takes the step beyond fanfiction, when they create their own 100%-theirs universe, it isn't hard for them to continue writing in a genre they love to read. I took the step from fanfiction to writing for Catalyst Games Labs through my Battlecorps stories. And from there, I decided to answer Rick Chesler's FB post when he was looking for co-authors for a new series he was developing, and that is where Outcast Ops: African Firestorm came from. I loved action thrillers, so the chance to co-write one was something I couldn't resist.

So, if you don't like the type of story you are writing, stop writing it and start writing the type of stories you want to read. It'll be easier on you in the long run.

Craig

Who am I?

On urging from Rick Chesler, I established both an Amazon and Smashword Author's page. But when it came to writing a bio for both sites, I stopped dead. A Bio? Of me?

That honestly threw me. Who am I?

That isn't an easy question to answer. I have had a quiet life where nothing big has happened to me. I was never in the military, never worked for any government, never been in a place where people were trying to kill me. In short, if you're looking for a life to emulate, look elsewhere.

A quick Bio: Born in Philadelphia, spent several years living in England, where I learned about Tea, Doctor Who, and soccer. Lived in Maryland, where I graduated from high school and community college. I've lived in Florida for the last fifteen years. I was an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. I took matial arts when I was younger, but missed becoming a black belt. I don't drink, take drugs and my politics are my own, though I do hold strong views on political matters. Not much to write about is it?

I'm on safer footing with my writing. Like a lot of writers, I started with fanfiction, then went from there. I'm currently a freelancer writer for Catalyst Game Labs, where I've written for both the Battletech Gaming line (Both short stories and gaming projects) and the Valiant Comics RPG line. I've had twenty-three stories published on the Battlecorps site, and have acted as a fact-checker and proofreader on different Catalyst projects. I've  nearly written three other novels, but Outcast Ops: African Firestorm is my first complete novel.

I love reading, else I wouldn't want to be a writer. I have over a thousand books in my personal fiction library, ranging from science fiction, to mysteries, to action-adventures and thrillers. My favorite authors are Jim Butcher, Clive Cussler, David Weber, David Drake, and Rex Stout. I also have a collection of non-fiction, in subjects like Chess, Martial arts, military history and biographies, weapons, and science. I like anime and manga.

I like old radio and other audio plays. My music likes are soundtracks, with a few "best of" albums thrown in. My DVDs generally run the gambit through anime, Sci-Fi TV series, movies I like, and a few Kung-Fu movies.

I'm an introvert, which explains why I can say all this here, because I wouldn't say any of this to anyone in person. Large crowds make me uncomfortable. I can cook well enough to function in the kitchen. In short, I'm a normal person.

So, that's me. Not much to work with for a bio, huh?

Craig

Real Life --- Bleh!

"Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans."

--- Alan Saunders

Yeah....

We're finally getting back for what passes as normal around here, After a couple of moves, we may have found a place for our relative. The last two weeks has been hard on us, as we finish tiding up the relative's estate, Once everything is settle, we can move on with our own household.

My writing has been spotty --- writing in bursts, followed by a couple of days of little or no writing. As I look at my white board, I'm supposed to have 136,000 words written for the period covering April to July, Right now, I'm at 48,013 words. I'm supposed to have eight short stories done by the end of the Month (Two per month), but I have none done. African Firestorm is plotted up to Chapter 48, into Chapter 49.

But I have been doing some writing, and the Valiant RPG should be ready sometime in the near future. I also did something for the BT Line Developer, and I'm waiting for feedback from that. (But since he's also the Valiant RPG LD, he's busy trying to get that book out the door. We're still looking into cloning him.)

So, my plan is still the same -- get butt into chair, write, edit and get other people's feedback. But Life keep getting in the way. So I have to push Life away long enough to get the writing done. It's not a complaint, just an observation,

So, I'm back and hopefully blogging away again. It's short column this time, but once I have something to write about, I will post it with great glee.

Craig

5,000 Words is a Victory

I don't think there's anything worse than a relative who is unable to take care of themselves any more. This family member (I won't go into any more detail than that, for privacy reason), needs my--- no, their family's help now and it's hard on everyone involved. The family is not basically running two households until we can merge the two. It is hard physically, but also mentally and emotionally on all of us. With this happening so close on the heels of my friend's death, it's an emotional jolt to the system.

It also means that any time I managed to carve out for writing these last couple of weeks has been a victory. Last week, I managed to write a little over 5,000 words --- 60% in the three Battlecorps stories, the rest into the outline for Outcast Ops:African Firestorm. It hasn't been easy --- we've had to make several trips a week to the relative's home, and handle all the details that need to be handled. And while I'm not at the center of the storm, I am still very much involved.

The entire situation is a reminder of how things can change so quickly, without any input from you. Too many factors beyond our control can hit us and changes our lives without warning. It's a feeling of frustration that settles in like a bad cold and stays far too long. Incidents like this remind us that life is fleeting, and can change without warning. It wears away at you, like ocean wears away at rocks on the shoreline.

That's why I consider those 5,000 words I wrote last week a victory. Unlike the real world, I can control events in my stories, decide what does what to who, and how. Writing allows me to control something in my life, at a time when we, the family, are trying to regain control of a situation we never saw coming. We're regaining control, it it's still too much that has to be done.

Every word I wrote last week represents time away from the family situation and time in a bubble where only the words matter and the story flows as I say it should. Each sentence a brick in the temporary wall that I needed to build between me and the overwhelming responsibilities that the situation has given us. Each paragraph was an advance in the story, when in real life, the family makes baby steps, slowly trying to untangle the threads of my relative's life. Writing is the one area where I have control, and that has been my island in this trouble sea.

My goal this week is another 5,000 words, and 5,000 more words next week. No not great amounts, but doable and I intend on writing when and how much I can, as much as possible. It keeps my focus on things I can control and avoid, even for a few minutes at a time.

Now, bed....

Craig

The Week Rolls On

The family member's doing a bit better, but their situation is still taking a chunk out of my writing time. It's not a complaint, but a statement of fact, and family has to help family, right?

But when I've had the time,I've made the most of it. African Firestorm is still moving along -- into Chapter 45 as plotted. But the way I'm writing this synopsis, it's possible that several of these chapters can be put together. Once I get it done, and send it to Rick, and see what he thinks about it.

I tend to write out scenes -- who did what, where and how. I prefer the detailed synopsis, as I've done all the hard work here, rather than in the actual writing. If I know Character A shots Character B, and Character B goes over the rail and into shark infested waters, it's all a matter of plugging in the details -- the ship, what lighting there is, the characters' moods, the backdrop, and maybe even the type of guns the characters are using. It's all adding color and texture to the paragraph:

"A pursues B onto the deck. At the rail, B spins around, gun in hand. A tells B to give up. B snarls and raises his gun. A is faster and shoots B. The impacts knock B back against the rail, and he over-balances. B flips over the rail and falls into the water below. A runs to the rail and sees sharks closing in on the stunned B."

That's the way I'm writing the synopsis, only with character names instead of A and B.

As an aside, I cannot find a book of surnames. I can find name books covering thousands of names for baby and characters, but surnames seem to be scattered across the Internet. I've started keeping a spreadsheet of surnames, culled from every source I can think of. Right now, it's in alphabetical order, and it's going to be problematic when it comes to separating them back out into their origin country's. Still, I have over 14,500 surnames on the spreadsheet and some interesting stats, Once I hit 15,000 surnames, I'll write a post on that,

On the Battlecorp front, the stories are still going, moving toward their climaxes. If my luck holds, they should be done (First draft anyway) in mid-June. At which point I start three more stories and let those three sit for a while.

So, that's it. Despite real life, I'm still writing when I can. Hopefully, there will be some resolution of the family matter by the weekend and life will become "Normal" again.....

Craig

Updating Again and a Few More Writing Blogs to Visit

Sorry, I missed Thursday, but Catalyst, with the Valiant RPG core book, just keeps give me new stuff to work on (and that is a GOOD thing!). Been doing heavy research on container ships, as I mentioned in my last post, and I need to go back and do some minor rewriting on African Firetorm. (basically, which helicopter crashes where.) On the Battletech front, all three stories are still going strong. So, I'm still writing, and I'm still blogging on this and my other blog twice a week each.

Looking over the major writing blogs I regularly visit, I see Dean Wesley Smith has blogged another post on Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing, located at: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=12659. If you have not read this series, do so. There's plenty of stuff to learn from someone who knows the publishing industries like few people do.

Here's a few more websites with a writing viewpoint:

Michael A. Stackpole http://www.stormwolf.com/ has become active again after no real blog posts for several months. He's written for Battletech, Star Wars, and has several novel series of his own.

J.A. Konrath http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ is a writer who has raced down the Independent publish path and shown the way for may newbies. He also doesn't pull any punches about this new world of publishing,

Jennifer Brozek http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/blog/ has written for Battlecorps and has her fingers in several pies. Between her and Dean above, you can get a good idea of what goes into a writer's day.

Daily Writing Tips http://www.dailywritingtips.com/ Not a Author's blog per say, but a great place to go get times on grammar and word usage.

That's all for now, back to work!

Craig

Late (and Short) Update

I know this blog entry is late AGAIN. Sometimes it isn't easy to come up with something.  I need to dig into my stack of saved web pages and see if I can find anything useful among them.

African Firestorm is still going through the outline stage and is into Chapter 41, but I'm at the point that I'm working out the steps in a gun battle, and I can't find any good deck plans of a container ship (Were said gun battle is taking place), so I don't know how one of these ships is laid out. If anyone knows of such plans on-line, or has access to a set of Deck plans of a large container ship in an electronic form, I would be most grateful.

Got a first glimpse of the first Outcast Ops novel draft, Game of Drones. I need to sit down and read through it, but from what little I've read, this s going to be an interesting series to write for. If anyone wants to kept in the lop abut the series, and get links to some interesting articles that kind of set the stage for the series, you can follow @OutcastOps.

The Battletech writing is going well, and I finished that additional writing for the Valiant RPG and turned that in. So things are going okay so far.

Later!

Craig

Research

I didn't have a topic for this entry until right now --- research. I'll be revisiting this subject more than one, but here is my off-the-cuff, too-early-in-the-morning thoughts on the subject:

With very few exceptions, a writer needs to do research for their story. It could be as something as simple as having a map of New York state to figure out where to put your sleepy little town where your novel is based. Mysteries involve things like researching poisons so your victim dies like you want them to. Spy thrillers involve know about how spies operate and why. High fantasy may involve knowing what different weapons can do, the differences between crossbows and long bows, and what sort of outfit a maiden would wear in a near-Britain of the 12th century. I've read sci-fi version of the Odyssey, American Revolutionary War, and Napoleonic Wars. Sooner or later, you need to do research.

While the story is fictional, most of the supporting background has to have some basis in reality. If Victim A dies from strychnine, they'd better show the same symptoms that a real person would if they had been poisoned with strychnine. In the hero is using a katana, the writer had better know that the Japanese sword is more a cutting weapon than a thrusting weapon. If my bad guys are going to launch a nuclear missile, I need to have an idea of the warhead size and what damage it will do. All details that make the story believable. If the details aren't right, the story loses its effectiveness.

That doesn't mean the writer need to become a courtroom-level expect on the material, as most of it will never appear in the story. But if the writer is comfortable with the material, it shows in the writing, imparting just enough information to let the reader grasp the story. The description of someone being poisoned with strychnine matters, because strychnine is a real poison. The way to manufacture said poison isn't necessary, unless it's a part of the plot, nor how much of it there is in the world. Just enough information to let the reader know what strychnine is. If the story is a historical one, the era the story takes place in needs to be examined for things to avoid, like out of era technology or words.

It's easy to keep a list of things to research as you plot out the story. Keep a list of subjects you need to research and do it as you go. It's going to take some time to look at the information and decide what to use and what to discard. The balance between no information and too much information has to be up to the writer; too little and the reader is lost, but too much and the story boggs down. Private Detective knows what strychnine poisoning looks like and tells Suspect #1 how he knows. He doesn'tneed t tell him anything more than that, unless it's a plot point later on.

Taking African Firestorm as an example, I have to research several countries, their cultures, locations inside those countries for scene settings, several different types of transportation vehicles, weapons, and languages. Since this is a thriller set in the here and now, I can't make up things like language or military firearms. I have to see what I can use, and what I cannot.

The good thing is that it's easy to research --- The Internet has many webpages, filled with useful information. Wikipedia is a useful first step, as is Google or any internet search site. Youtube may have useful videos, or there's a blogger blogging about the subject in question. Searching for pictures of the subject can help visualize the setting. Check local TV channels for documentaries on your subject. And if all else fails, the local library. Check Amazon for books abut your subject, or check out the local bookstore's discount sale table for useful books. I have several dozen books on different subjects, mostly from that discount table.

But do the research. The more believable the details are, the better the story is.

Now, to bed and more writing tomorrow. Got in over a thousand words today, which is good for me. African Firestorm is plotted into Chapter 37, and all three of my Battlecorps stories are rolling along.

Later,

Craig

Back in the Saddle

I'm afraid last week was a washout, writing-wise, due to my friend's death. I managed only about 1100 words for the entire week, mostly at the end of it. Not much to add to African Firestorm. I think I'm going to have to go back and move a scene to an earlier chapter or order to make the timing work out.

But most of the writing that I did do last week was to start two new stories for the Battlecorps website. One is in a time period in the Battletech timeline I've never written in before, so I have the challenge of making it fit into the established facts. It's a challenge and one I need right now.

The other new story will be a tribute to my friend. I talked to Rob's mother late last week, and she said they think he went quickly. I hope I can do this story justice.

No Merlin's Legacy tonight. I'm going to let that sit for a while, until I plow through these other projects, then go back to it with fresh eyes.

Sorry for being so short tonight -- I need to write some before I go to bed.

Craig

Another missed Monday.....

I know I missed it to, but the Valiant PRG stuff was due today, so I have to work on that, and the first draft is in. Which means I can go back to doing other things for a while.....

African Firestorm is back on the front burner, and I'm going to dive into the Battletech Universe and see if I can finish off some of these stories I have half-written. In the meanwhile, the next Part of Merlin's Legacy

***

        Donella returned in a couple of minutes later, carrying a couple of packs of hooks. “Put them in with the rest of the stuff,” I said, motioning to the cart. “On me.”
She shook her head. “I’ll buy these,” she said.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“If it’s about Margaret, no.”
“All right, I won’t.”
She looked a little relieved. “It’s just that Margaret sometimes acts more like my mother than my friend,” she said.
“You don’t want to go to college?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’m not sure that—”
“Hey beautiful.”
I knew the voice even before I turned to face the person who’d interrupted our conversation. “Hello, Damien,” I said.
Damien scowled. He was real good at it, but compared to my mom’s, he was an amateur. “Merlin,” he said. “Moving in on my girl?”
“I am not your girl,” Donella growled. “I’m nobody’s girl.”
“You will be,” Damien said with a cool smile. He was dressed in what I’d call preppy understated — polo shirt, designer jacket, slacks, and multi-hundred dollar athletic shoes. “How about a date tonight?”
“No,” Donella said firmly.
“Come on babe, I can show you a whole new life.”
I pulled a claw hammer from the shelf next to me and examined it.. I looked at Donella and held the hammer up. “What do you think?”
She looked at me in puzzlement. “About what?”
I stepped in front of Damien. “Do you think this is a good hammer?”
“Hey!” Damien snarled. “We we’re talking!”
I looked back at him. “No, that conversation’s over.”
“Listen you mother— “
Hello Mister Wihite,” I said, staring past Damien. He stopped and looked back. I dropped the hammer into the cart and pushed the cart as fast as I could, Donella went with me. By the time Damien realized that there was no one behind him, we were six feet away and turning into another aisle.
Once out of his sight, I put Donella’s hand in the cart and motioned her to go on. As she did so, I dropped to one knee near the turn, as if I was looking at something on a bottom shelf. I was there only a couple of seconds, before Damien came charging around the corner and fell over me.
As he sprawled on the ground, I rose to my feet. “Watch it!’ I said loudly in an annoyed tone.
He glared up at me. “Real funny,” he snarled.
“Is there a problem?” Mister Wihite called out.
“Is there a problem, Damien?” I asked.
He got onto his feet and glared at me. “You win this one, asshole, but I will make you pay for it, and soon!”
“I’ve been threaten by experts,” I said. “you’re not even close.”
“You will pay!”
“I know a man whose killed more people with his bare hands then the combined number of murders by the people on Florida’s death row. He did it in service to his country as a soldier. He runs a martial arts school, and guess what? He’s my teacher. You want my head? Bring friends, and enough body bags for them.” He glared at me for a few more seconds, then turned and walked away, giving Donella a venomous glance as he brushed past her.
Dionella looked at me as I walked up to her. “Did you tell him the truth?”
“About Master Cho?” I replied. “Yes. Master Cho was a ROK solider for twenty-five years before he came to the US. I learned under him for the last five years. The man’s pushing seventy, but he’s still faster than an enraged cobra.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said in an annoyed tone.
“I have a low threshold for bullies,” I replied. “Plus I have a mom and an older sister who would have slipped Damien there so hard, he’d be spitting out his teeth.”
“A knight in shining armor,” she said in the same tone as before.
Mister Wihite came into view. “Is there a problem?”
“No, someone fell over me while I was looking at the plumbing supplies. He apologized and walked off.”
“Damien Brackett?”
“I believe that was his name.”
Mister Wihite looked at Donella, who nodded to confirm my story. After seeing there was nothing out of place, he nodded and left the aisle.
“I think I’ve found everything I needed from here,” I said. “Let’s check out.”
We started up toward the front, when A woman’s voice bellowed, “You’re wrong!”
“But the—”
“The total is wrong!”
We came in sight of the front counter. A woman was glaring down at a girl who was behind the counter. The female customer could have been an NFL defensive linesman, with a face that looked like she’d played the game without a helmet. She towered over the clerk, who was maybe in senior high school, a foot shorter, and maybe a third of the customer’s weight. She was holding her ground, but only just. “But the computer—”
“The computer is wrong!”
Wihite appeared, trying to look calm, but I could see the tightness around his eyes. “Myra,” he said, walking around the counter and placing himself between his clerk and the mad maid mountain. “What is the problem?”
“This air head rang up my order wrong!” the woman snarled
“All right,” Wihite said. He turned to the register and touched a few buttons. “Why don’t we ring this up again and see?”
The items, a couple of jars of spackling, some lumber, a box of nails, and some chicken wire, were rung up again. “Same total,” Wihite said, after comparing the receipts.
“You’re trying to cheat me!” the woman roared.
“Fine,” Wihite said, turning the register’s screen toward the woman. “Tell me what rung up wrong.”
The woman scanned the items with hard eyes, then with a sound somewhere between a grunt and a growl, she pulled out a bunch of bills. “Fine,” she growled. She threw several of the bills on the counter, then turned to look at me. “What are you looking at?”
I didn’t flinch. “A bully,” I replied cooly.
That didn’t make her happy. She turned to face me. “Who the hell are you?”
“I could ask you the same question,” I said. “To answer your question first, I’m Roger Merlin. And you are?”
The woman’s expression changed from anger to shock. “M-Merlin?” she stammered.
“Yes.”
The woman turned back to the counter grabbed her bagged items and left in a hurry. Both Mister Wihite and his clerk looked at me. I returned their look. “Who was she?”
“Myra Goldleaf,” Wihite replied. “She and her husband own Goldleaf’s Bookstore, across the square.”
“Is she always that obnoxious?”
“She is a hard person to satisfy,” Wihite said.
I pushed my cart up to the counter. “Let’s see if I can improve on her performance.”

***

In addition to the hardware store, we stopped by a supermarket on the way back, and I picked up a twelve-pack of sodas and a few snacks. Donella watched me, frowning, but not saying anything. As we got back in the car, I noticed a black car idling in the far corner of the parking lot. As Donella started the car and headed for the exit, I watched the car to see what it would do.
Donella pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Camelot. I glanced back and saw the black car had also pulled out and was following us. ‘Something wrong?’ Donella asked.
“I think I’m being paranoid,” I replied.
“Why?”
I told her about the car. She snorted and said, “You’re right, you’re being paranoid.”
It took us seven minutes to go from the supermarket to the front entrance of Camelot, and the black car stayed behind us the entire time, never closing the distance, but never allowing the distance to increase. As we turned into the estate, I said, “Do those gates close and lock?”
“Yes, from about nine at night to six in the morning,” Donella replied, driving through the said gates. “During those times, access is only by access code or you have to be let in by someone in one of the three houses, and I can’t recall that ever happening.”
I glanced back as the black car slowed as if it was going to follow us, then accelerated and drive past the driveway. I turned around and slumped in my seat. Something was going on here in Pilgrim’s Cove, and it had to do with Lucian’s death. I had the feeling I was walking into something I wasn’t going to like, and I hate those feelings.

***

Back to Work!

Craig

My Writing Background: Battletech

I am using this blog entry and the next one to talk about where most of my professional writing has been the last couple of years – Battletech fiction. I have a separate blog that deals with Battletech, but I thought a little bit of background would help understand me a bit better. For those who want to see it, my Battletech Blog is here: http://thebattletechstate.blogspot.com/

For those of you unfamiliar with Battletech, it is a tabletop game first produced in 1985. Played on a hex map, the game involves battles between walking weapons of war, (called BattleMechs or ’Mechs for short) Supported by armor, infantry, and spacecraft, the ’Mechs are the main instruments of a nearly never-ending series of wars between interstellar states.

But what make Battletech unique is the detail that goes into the universe. Over nearly thirty years, a detailed universe has arisen, tracing the expansion of humanity, the creation of interstellar states, and the rise of a central authority and the “Golden Era” of a Star League. A golden era that was shattered when the ruler of the Star League was assassinated and an usurper takes his place, After a blood civil war, the Star League is shattered into it’s components states: five major interstellar states, known collectively as the Great Houses, and the smaller Periphery states.

The amount of detail that has been created over the last thirty years is staggering: a detailed timeline from 2010 to 3145, deep background on the empires – history, economy, military forces, religious groups, and politics. Each state has it’s own identity, each has it’s heroes and villains and each has triumphs and tragedies.

A key part of the games success is based on the fiction that supports it. Over a hundred novels, and four to five times as many short stories covering several hundred years of that history have been written. Characters are born, grow up, love, and die.

What does this have to do with me? I’ve written twenty short stories that have been e-published on the Battlecorps website, a subscription-based website, and is the only place to get canon fiction based on the Battletech Universe.  I currently have over 160,000 words that have been published on the website, and one of my stories, “My Father’s Sword,” is in the Battlecorps Anthology, Onslaught (http://www.amazon.com/BattleTech-Onslaught-Tales-Clan-Invasion-ebook/dp/B00F56CLQ0/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389274732&sr=1-15&keywords=onslaught).

It'll be five years in March since the first story was published, and my success has lead me into other areas of the gaming line where I can contribute. I have written parts of the Battletech sourcebooks over the last couple of years: Total Chaos, Field Manual: SLDF, and IP3: Interstellar Expeditions. Also, I’ve written several scenarios, some unit backgrounds, and 3145 Technical Readout entries. I was the main writer for the pdf-only product, Field Report 2765: Draconis Combine, and have contributed to several other products in a non-writing capacity.

That has been the sum of my “professional” writing to this point, but I want to expand beyond that. But make no mistake, Battletech will continue to be a part of my writing for the foreseeable future.

In the next part, I’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantage of writing in someone else’s universe.

Craig

Politics -- Not on this Blog!

After this last week, after what happened in Boston, I wanted to make it clear that this blog will be about my writing only. Real-life politics and religion are not part of my writing life, and thus has no purpose here.

Real-life politics and religion (To seperate them from story poltical and religious subject, which might come up in this column) are very touchy subjects. They are the sole provence of the indiviudal, and discussion about either subject tead to quickly degenderate into vicious verbal attacks and flames as both sides throw themselves into the fight.

I have very strong political views, but this is not the place to espouse them. This blog is about my writing and my journey to be a (hopefully) sucessful writer. To sidetrack it into political debate would be a diservice to anyone who reads this blog. There are plenty of places to vent political opinion, I don't need to do it here, and you don't need to read it.

Like politics, religion is a personal subject and choice. It is not my place to state my views here, because they are mine, crafted through my experences and thoughts. It is a personal journey, only one I can make. They are personal to me, no one else. Looking back over the centuries, wars between people based on religion are very common occurences. It continues today and cannot be willed away.

This is supposed to be a nice blog, with my blogging about writing and the descovery process. I refuse to allow religion and politics to interfere with writing about that journey, and I can do that by keeping both subjects far away from here. This is an oasis for people to come to. I refuse to hit you the reader over the head with my views on these two subjects.

That's all for now....

Craig

Word Count update # 2

This last week was a very good one for the writing goals. I exceeded my daily goals on six out of the seven days, several times by more than five hundred words. I wrote some in four different Battlecorps stories, and in two original novels. Merlin's Courtship is over 86,000 words, and while I see the need to change some things, I intend to push on and complete the first draft before making any major changes. As for Mind Wipe, I am close to finishing up the first chapter. In part, it's world-building on the fly and not for the faint-hearted.

Anyway, the stats for the week:

Battlecorps words written this week: 6,500
Original words written this week: 5,564
Total words written for this week: 12,064
Target word count for this week: 8,995(seven days @ 1,285 words/day)
Over/under word count for the week: + 3,069 words
Over/under word count for the year: + 2,745words

So, a good second week, and I will try to keep it going!

Later!

Craig

Holiday Toast!

To all those present, I give you a Toast!

May the coming year be full of joy and light,
May friendships and romance survive more then a night.
May you find strength, peace and health this coming year,
May no darkness, hate and sorrow fill your soul with tears.
May life grant you everything it can,
May you find the grace to help your fellow man.
With this toast I do say,
May this year be nothing but brighter days!  

Toast!

Craig

Purpose of this blog

My name is Craig Reed and I am a writer.

Well, I like to think of myself as a writer. Whether or not anyone else thinks I am is up in the air.

I have been an avid reader for about the time I was four, more years ago then I care to remember. Over the years I wrote fanfiction, mostly in anime and Battletech. But I’ve finally decided to take the big plunge and write stories set in my own universe. I have had some success writing stories for the Battlecorps site (Sixteen E-published stories as of this blog), but until things get straightened out with the Battletech novels, there’s no way I’m even going to get a shot at writing one.

I have a couple of partially completed urban fantasy novels done, one I wrote for the NoWriNoMo event in November (I managed 42,000 words before a looming deadline with a Battlecorps story forced me to chose, and I chose the short story). But this isn’t one of those. I expect I will take what I learn from this novel and apply it to both of them to get them back on track.

So, it’s time to branch out and see if I can write that novel, for real. That’s the purpose of this blog, to chronicle my efforts, from start to (hopefully) the end of of the project. I expect that it will be part progress journal, part bitch and moan session, part kick in the ass, and part cry for help....

I have never sat down and planned out a novel before. I tend to write my fanfiction "off-the-cuff", with frequent consultations of source material. But there is no "source material" for me to support me, but what comes from my brain. To do that, I have to plan this out before I can put one word down of the story.
I expect this to be a journey. Maybe not a quick one, but a lot of what I do for this first novel is going to be trial and error. If you read this, maybe you can learn for my mistakes, or offer help when I hit my head against a wall.

Willing to come along?

Craig