New Gleeson

My new installment of Gleeson the Defender will be out this Sunday. I know it's been a while but I've been having issues with my computer and finally have an alternative. Keep in mind you can catch up to all four parts, part five will be out this Sunday.

Short Stories

I have decided to post short stories every Sunday. From here on out, I will post a new short story every Sunday. When I start up on my second book that may drop down some but I won't know until then. For now check out the first part of my new short story, The Siege. It is a two part short story and the next part will be next Sunday. It's on the left.

New Short Story

Here is a list of what my writing exercise was about. The story is called the Warehouse. Check it out on the left under Stories. 

A helpful 25 year-old man 
A fearless 25 year-old man 
The story begins in an abandoned warehouse 
Someone is kidnapped 
It's a story about secrecy 
Your character is tested to the limits of physical endurance 

Update

            Alright everyone, I haven’t been the best about keeping up on my blog. I have been working hard finishing my last little bit of my second round of editing. It’s finally done. I’ve sent it off for the final edit before it goes to my BETA readers.

I will soon post my prologue of my book on here to give all my readers a taste of my book. My editor already knows to send it back to me before they’re done with the rest of the book so I can post it on here. I am also currently working on the next part of my blog book slowly but surely. (Like I said, it’s not a high priority)

However, over the next few weeks I’m going to work on some random writing exercises to keep my mind fresh with writing. All of my exercises I will post on my blog. They will have the exercise and the story. I set time limits with them and it should be fun to see what I can create with randomness.

Finally, with how little time I find myself having, I won’t be able to keep up with a daily blog. I’m going to keep it going but it will be more of several times a week instead of everyday like I was wanting. Oh well it is what it is. I may find time to post everyday in the future but right now it’s not looking like I will be. 

Don't Let Plot Holes Get You Down

During the editing phase and BETA reading phase there are things that can materialize in your story; plot holes. They can happen to the best of us and usually do. This is why these phases are so vital to publishing your story.

Don’t let plot holes get you down, most of the time they are so minor they can easily be fixed in a few key sentences. I recently just had one myself and I thought it was the end of the world. I was so infuriated I couldn’t see straight. I was blaming myself and my editor for pointing it out. They are there for those reasons. If everyone was a perfect author, we wouldn’t have editors or BETA readers. Let me tell you this, I apologized and I’m still apologizing. I thought I had to spend another three months rewriting the entire book.

Thankfully, I was able to fix it in about three sentences. I was so concerned I was a failure because I couldn’t see the little errors in the story for a quick and easy fix. It’s easy enough, but we like to make things more difficult than what they really are. I cannot stress it enough. I have mentioned this in other blogs. Things are much simpler than what we think they are. I had to take a step back and really think about what my editor told me and where the inconsistencies are. I also had to ask myself, why did I write it that way?

Once I answered these questions it became so much easier for me to come up with a solution. It’s important not to lose sight of what your end goal is. Remember one thing; make sure you go through editing and BETA readers, no matter how much you might not want to.

Time Off

As some of you may have noticed, I took a little break from writing. I haven’t touched anything in the last three days. I have several projects that I’m working on but I decided that I needed to take some time off. It was nice to sit down and spend time with my family. We spent a lot of time outside under the sun.

                There was a lot of water involved. We went to a spray ground twice and for those that don’t know it’s a feature at a park that sprays or dumps water from various devices. We were at a little water park as well complete with two water slides. We also went to a small water park that had a little splash pool for our youngest and waterslides for our oldest. Fun was had by all.

                To end the time off, I went with my fiancé, brother, sister in law and my parents to my nephew’s improv and comedy skit. It was great ending the day on a happy note like that. Lots of laughter flowed through the little theatre. I even got up on stage and participated, making sound effects for their skit. It’s a great way to enjoy your evening. Check out Stensrud Playhouse in Missoula.

                It’s important to get away from your writing sometimes so you can take time to spend with your family. You’re not only writing for yourself, but also for your family. They are your biggest supporters in everything you do. It has been a great couple of days. I am now recharged and ready to get back into my projects, starting with this blog.

Motivation to Write

Some days it’s hard to get motivated to write. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write. It’s by far the most prominent talent I have. There are still days that I don’t want to do it though. Days like that are hard for me. I really want to write but can’t seem to bring myself to do it. It’s not writer’s block that’s keeping me from writing but motivation.

I use similar techniques for my writer’s block. There are differences for me though. I like to sit outside with a cup of coffee or a cold beer, depending on the time of day. I think about the scene I’m writing on currently. Most of the time, it motivates me enough to get to my computer and get typing. When thinking of my current scene doesn't help, sometimes, thinking of the next one or several ones further down gets me pumped. I want to make it to that scene and I am jacked, ready to go.

There are times where that doesn't help and I need to get away from everything. I’ll leave with my family and go somewhere. Maybe go for a walk or a hike in the mountains. I don’t need to do this often but when I do, it clears my head. I can feel the breeze on my face coming down from the canyons. The smell of the pine trees fills my nostrils with a fresh scent of nature. Leaves, from bushes, rustling all around me and the creeks rushing by with a roar so loud, nothing else can be heard. It’s peaceful.

Finally, there is one show that I watch on a regular basis that motivates me and makes me want to write. Most people are like, its Castle isn’t it? Yeah, I get kind of motivated by Castle. Seeing a writer on screen, sure, it’s motivating but it’s not Castle. Surprisingly enough, it’s Elementary. The romanticized aspect of doing what I want when I want creates a great motivator for me. To write full time is my aspiration. Hopefully one day I’ll be there.

These things will get me motivated when I don’t really want to. I just need to remember the difference between motivation and writer’s block. Comment below if you have suggestions or just want to say hi.