| Onwards and upwards |
[May. 16th, 2007|08:28 pm] |
I started and finished a Truman Capote book, "In Cold Blood." That was the first Truman Capote book I've read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope to read more of his works in the future.
I also started and finished "Timequake" by Vonnegut. This was shortly before he passed away. That is my favorite novel of his of those that I've read. He was a tremendous author and an admirable artist. He'll be missed...
I am still pursuing "Night and Day," my own monster of a novel. It has been more difficult to write than I expected, but I am still relatively pleased with where it is going and how it is getting there. I am about 2/3 through it right now, I think. The story is more linear than the types of things I am used to writing, but there is not much I can do about that because of the nature of the story. It is challenging to keep it interesting and unpredictable in that environment. I think that is why I am writing it more slowly than I normally write. At least that is part of the reason. |
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| Finished a great book (for the 2nd time) |
[Mar. 11th, 2007|04:54 pm] |
I finished reading Terry Brooks's 'First King of Shannara' today. As the subject line suggests, this is my second time to read this particular book. I am revisiting the series so that I can select at least one scene per book to draw...using either prismacolors, charcoal, or pastels. I am trying to keep myself busy and mix up my often-monotonous schedule of activities. Keeping it real :)
I haven't decided what book I am going to read next but I will select one this afternoon and I may or may not start it today. I am working an awful lot so it is hard to find much time to read but I am glad I have been able to keep it up...
I haven't written much at all the past few weeks....I am still thinking about my in-process novel, "Night and Day," quite a bit, though, and have made some important decisions about things I am going to do with the story between where it's at and its end. Exciting stuff... |
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| Good stuff |
[Feb. 17th, 2007|02:33 pm] |
I got my tax refund the other day. It came on precisely the same day it was scheduled to....
So I am credit card debt free. That is wonderful. It feels a little surreal....
I finished reading "Seeing" and it was brilliant. I think I liked "Blindness" more, it's indirect prequel, but I would encourage anyone to read either.
I also finished reading "The Social Contract." I finished both last weekend. It was good as well, though I am not sure I'll ever read it again.
I reread "Dream Tigers" some time before that. It was absolutely amazing.
That's enough of reporting on reading, for now. I did add more to my in-process "Night and Day" novel. It is continuing to come along. I am looking forward to finishing it one day....if only so I can start editing other things I have already finished writing. I want to make things shareable..... |
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| Just an update |
[Feb. 9th, 2007|10:35 pm] |
I just thought I'd drop a line to my journal since I hadn't in awhile. I've been reading a lot but not writing much. That's okay. I've been busy. And preoccupied. In any event, I am reading Jose Saramago's "Seeing" and the Bible and a book on leadership and "The Social Contract". I know it is a little crazy to read four books at once, but that's where I am at. I suspect I will finish one of them this weekend. We'll see....
Am not sure what I might read next. I am looking forward to using my new drafting table and prisma colors so I may read a Shannara book....we'll see......
That's all I'm going to get into for now....there's personal stuff, and there's non-personal but somewhat interesting stuff, but there are only so much guts to spill and I need some of them for myself....
B |
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| Yipee!!! |
[Nov. 25th, 2006|11:31 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | nanowrimo | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drunk | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Heaven and Earth - King Crimson | ] |
I got my NaNoWriMo novel past the 50k mark and to it's ending (prior to my going out of town). I am quite happy about that....and I ended up liking my story a little bit more than I thought I would. After an editing pass or two, I think I'll be happy to show it to others....
I am going out of town tomorrow. God help me for traveling on the "busiest traveling day of the year."
I need to keep writing....now I have two finished novels (and one half-finished but lengthy novel) and if I keep at it, I can continue to produce writing that I am proud of. As much as I might miss my other hobbies or become overwhelmed by work, I need to continue to find time for writing like I have this past month. That's what I think anyway....
I am signing off now.....God bless. |
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| Patience is mine.... |
[Nov. 22nd, 2006|08:08 pm] |
I had caught up to my word count requirement for my NaNoWriMo novel as of Sunday when I topped 30k. At least I think it was Sunday....Anyway, I haven't written since. Not because my novel is stuck....I don't think it is....it's just because of distractions. I really need to get cracking this coming holiday weekend, though, because I'll be out of town and quite busy for the last calendar week of November and I should try to finish before that happens. We'll see. I'm moderately excited about my story but, again, I am quite distracted as well.
I finished reading the Henrik Ibsen plays and I enjoyed them. I started reading Celine's "London Bridge." So far, I am loving it but I have been reading it slowly. Again, distractions....
I have been entirely unsuccessful at getting my hands on a Wii. I'll get one one of these days. I haven't devoted the time or energy I would need to to have gotten one by now, if that makes sense.....
I have seen "Casino Royale" now twice. The first time I went alone and the second time I went with someone from work. I may be seeing it a third time with my sister....we'll see. I really like the movie, though. Daniel Craig did a hell of a job, in my opinion.
That's it for now. I am going to try to write a little and then relax....watching DVD's or playing Golden Sun 2 or reading or perhaps a combination of the three.....
Peace. |
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| Tired but still trying |
[Nov. 14th, 2006|10:04 pm] |
My NaNoWriMo novel is coming along, but more slowly than I would like. I am at about 17k words and the month is nearly halfway over. I like my story, though, and I think that I am about a third of the way through it which would make my ending word count over the 50k threshold (the word count is cosmetic, but I am still going to do it....I'm more interested in liking the story). I really like my story, too, but it is a different genre and a different type of story than I normally write. That is making it go more slowly and it is being aggravated by having to work over time.....
Okay, that's enough complaining. Now, onto what I am reading....I am still reading the Henrik Ibsen plays. I read 'A Doll's House' this past weekend and absolutely loved it. The collection I am reading also includes 'The Wild Duck', which I've also finished, and 'The Lady From The Sea' which I am in the process of reading. I don't know what I'll read after finishing that, though....I probably need to take a break from reading and then get back to writing.
I got an alumni magazine from my university today. I had hoped to hear from them because I wanted to give a donation this year and I hadn't gotten anything in awhile....they normally solicit donations :) Anyway, I was flipping through it and saw that one of my former classmates, Amber Womack, had sung at an alumni recital this past March. It caught my eye because I actually knew her. She was absolutely beautiful, kind, and intelligent...I was quite surprised to see that she didn't appear to have married yet since she still had the same last name. It's neat to hear about folks you used to know though... |
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| Going along |
[Nov. 6th, 2006|08:03 pm] |
My NaNo novel is coming along rather well, but slowly. I think my problem is that I have a moderately crazy work schedule right now so it is hard for me to find time to write. I usually don't have difficulty with keeping a decent pace, though, so I am sure I'll make my 50k.
I finished "Noble House" and I loved it. I think I liked "Tai Pan" more, which, of course, is also set in Hong Kong. "Tai Pan" was an extremely powerful novel. I loved every word of it.
I am now reading some plays by Henrik Ibsen. I haven't spent much time reading, though, because I am usually either working or trying to write my NaNo book. Sometimes I have to do other things too......laundry, dishes, etc. |
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| Interesting... |
[Nov. 1st, 2006|09:41 pm] |
Unfortunately, I had to work later than normal tonight. But I still got home and started writing relatively quickly for my 2006 NaNo story. The things I was going back-and-forth about in my head somehow sorted themselves out (more or less) in the past couple days and I finally have a decent idea of what I want to do. The story is writing relatively smoothly considering I am largely winging it and I am looking forward to seeing where it will go.
I did decide to do science fiction. Right now, I am introducing secondary characters only. I tried to get to the NaNo site to upload my word count for the day but I can't seem to load the web page. Maybe it is crammed full of people tonight since it is day 1. I'll try again in a little bit. Last year I only uploaded a few times and I'd like to see daily progression so I am going to try to do it every day (even if I don't write anything).
I think I am going to spend some time reading Noble House after I am done with the Internet. I am within 100 pages of finishing and I'd like to finish it before the end of the week if possible...
Good luck to anyone else who's doing NaNo!!!! |
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| Reading and writing (still) |
[Oct. 29th, 2006|11:12 am] |
I am reading "Noble House" right now. I am about 60% through it and it keeps getting better and better. I wonder if I'll ever write anything with Clavell's level of detail and intricacies. I doubt not--not because I wouldn't want to but I don't think it is quite my style.
"Night and Day" is stumbling along. I haven't added to it in some time. I am still toying around in my head about a couple of things. I need to have an intriguing motive for the darlecks. I also need to decide who will survive past Arissa's death. The pieces are coming together, but some things are still gray in my head. I haven't been focusing my efforts on it, though, and it is coming into being at a measured and steady pace. I am confident I will be happy with it once it's finished.
I have not revisited "One Way" yet and I don't suspect I will until I finish my first draft of "Night and Day."
I am toying with the idea of doing a science fiction story for my NaNoWriMo book. I need to be able to start writing this week, really, and I wish I had a firmer idea of what I wanted to do. I keep going back and forth about significant parts of the tentative story. I'll have to wait and see what happens. I just hope what I write ends up being something keep-able or, at least, that it later becomes something keep-able. I think it is probably a little bold to hope for a draft story that I like as much as last year's. I'll keep the anonymous reader(s) of my journal posted.
I have this bad (?) habit of purging my journals and aribtrarily deleting entries. Mostly I think my focus wanders and I want my livejournal to be primarily about books I am reading and any writing I do....not about random stuff in my life. I guess since my life affects my writing and since reading is also part of my life, it is hard to separate the two and perhaps I shouldn't be trying..... |
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