It has been a difficult month all around. I find myself emotionally hypersensitive to everything. On the weekend the family went to the local Museum and Archives where I found myself tearing up as I read a letter from a school girl to a sailor from the Second World War. I've been unable - or maybe unwilling - to sit down and write anything, but I've run out of excuses to stay away from the keyboard.
In the weeks before Christmas I revisited my novella, The Platinum Ticket, rewriting it and building it into a novel. I really enjoyed the process and, although I haven't re-read the finished product yet, think it grew into a pretty decent novel.
I have two other novellas which could stand to grow into novels. Patriot may be the best thing I've written. It is certainly my favourite. Patriot will be lengthened to a novel some day, but not just yet.
Herne is a story I wrote a few years back for the 3 Day Novel contest. Last night I pulled out a marked-up copy of the manuscript and read over a few sections. As I read, I saw opportunities to make Herne so much more than what it is right now. Don't get me wrong - it's a fine story as it is, but last night I saw real potential for a much better bit of writing.
I was contemplating a new project before this difficult month began and it looks like something has surfaced from all of the chaos. So be it. Herne it is.
Showing posts with label Patriot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patriot. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Friday, 25 June 2010
Stick a fork in it...it's done!
Well - it took longer than I expected, but the full edit - line by line, word by word - of Loremaster is done. The file is saved in four different places and I am happy with the result.
A line by line edit is an arduous task. I can only sustain that kind of editing for a few hours before my eyes cross and I really need a break. I am glad I took the time to do it. I found numerous opportunities for improvement, overused words, awkward structures and the odd grammatical error. Loremaster is a much better manuscript today than it was a few weeks ago.
What now?
I have a number of projects that need attention, but where to start?
Do I jump right in to the Loremaster sequel that I started a few months back? Might make sense - I have the first book fresh in my mind.
Do I finally finish fleshing out Patriot or Herne to novel length?
Do I revisit The Witch, a little story that grew and one I'm very fond of?
Do I start something new?
I suppose the first thing to do is take a deep breath, look at what I have on the go and decide where my energies are most profitably spent.
I'll take the weekend to figure it all out.
A line by line edit is an arduous task. I can only sustain that kind of editing for a few hours before my eyes cross and I really need a break. I am glad I took the time to do it. I found numerous opportunities for improvement, overused words, awkward structures and the odd grammatical error. Loremaster is a much better manuscript today than it was a few weeks ago.
What now?
I have a number of projects that need attention, but where to start?
Do I jump right in to the Loremaster sequel that I started a few months back? Might make sense - I have the first book fresh in my mind.
Do I finally finish fleshing out Patriot or Herne to novel length?
Do I revisit The Witch, a little story that grew and one I'm very fond of?
Do I start something new?
I suppose the first thing to do is take a deep breath, look at what I have on the go and decide where my energies are most profitably spent.
I'll take the weekend to figure it all out.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
3 Day Novel Results
For three of the last four years I have spent Labour Day weekend cooped up in my basement office, scribbling away in my best attempt to write a short novel in only 72 hours. Each time I've done it, I have been pleased with the result and this year was no different.
In 2006, I wrote a story called The Platinum Ticket. It was a story about time travel, alien viruses, environmental issues and even Adolf Hitler thrown in for a little bit of fun.
In 2007, I wrote a story called Patriot. Patriot is a story about a Paraguayan dictator who faces his last 72 hours before execution. I am currently trying to flesh out Patriot to novel length.
In 2008, for a variety of reasons, I decided to take a year off from the contest.
Last year, in 2009, I wrote a story called Herne. Herne is the tale of an Ontario Conservation Officer who encounters a mythical antlered man in the wilds of Quetico Provincial Park.
Well, once again the winners have been announced and I am disappointed to say that I did not win the 32nd Annual Three-Day Novel Contest. Once again, I was not even shortlisted. Once again, I'm not surprised.
Over the last couple of years I have watched the Three-Day Novel Contest competition on Book Television. During the competition the writers are judged by Canadian authors ( usually from Edmonton) and contest officials. There are often comments such as, "This opening is just the kind of opening you expect to see in a Three-Day Novel." or "This prose just doesn't read like a Three-Day Novel." If this sort of sentiment is indicative of the attitudes of the judges of the Three-Day Novel Contest and your effort doesn't match a preconceived notion or template, then finding the winner's circle will be difficult to say the least.
But don't get me wrong, I have no sour grapes here. The Three-Day Novel Contest has, over three of the last four years, been a generator for three solid pieces of mid-length fiction for me.
Do I expect to win? No, never.
Was I disappointed? In previous years, yes. This year was different, however. This year my goal was to get the framework of a story that had been rattling around in my head down on paper. I achieved that goal in spades.
Now comes the hard part. Now I have to clean up and polish Herne and send it out into the world for publication.
In 2006, I wrote a story called The Platinum Ticket. It was a story about time travel, alien viruses, environmental issues and even Adolf Hitler thrown in for a little bit of fun.
In 2007, I wrote a story called Patriot. Patriot is a story about a Paraguayan dictator who faces his last 72 hours before execution. I am currently trying to flesh out Patriot to novel length.
In 2008, for a variety of reasons, I decided to take a year off from the contest.
Last year, in 2009, I wrote a story called Herne. Herne is the tale of an Ontario Conservation Officer who encounters a mythical antlered man in the wilds of Quetico Provincial Park.
Well, once again the winners have been announced and I am disappointed to say that I did not win the 32nd Annual Three-Day Novel Contest. Once again, I was not even shortlisted. Once again, I'm not surprised.
Over the last couple of years I have watched the Three-Day Novel Contest competition on Book Television. During the competition the writers are judged by Canadian authors ( usually from Edmonton) and contest officials. There are often comments such as, "This opening is just the kind of opening you expect to see in a Three-Day Novel." or "This prose just doesn't read like a Three-Day Novel." If this sort of sentiment is indicative of the attitudes of the judges of the Three-Day Novel Contest and your effort doesn't match a preconceived notion or template, then finding the winner's circle will be difficult to say the least.
But don't get me wrong, I have no sour grapes here. The Three-Day Novel Contest has, over three of the last four years, been a generator for three solid pieces of mid-length fiction for me.
Do I expect to win? No, never.
Was I disappointed? In previous years, yes. This year was different, however. This year my goal was to get the framework of a story that had been rattling around in my head down on paper. I achieved that goal in spades.
Now comes the hard part. Now I have to clean up and polish Herne and send it out into the world for publication.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Hard Frost
It has been a while since my last post. Thanksgiving has come and gone and the first really hard frost hit us the night before last.
A few weeks back the family headed out to the farm I grew up on to make a few repairs to my mother's house. While we were there I took the kids for a walk around the perimeter of the property. A lot has changed since I was growing up there and yet a lot remains the same. During the walk every hundred yards or so we'd sample the ripening apples on the trees we passed that grow in the fence rows. Apart from the tree in the barnyard with the enormous pie apples, I don't really recall sampling the fruit from the trees scattered along the edges of the property.
We were surprised at the variety and the bounty. Some were tart but one tree has these amazingly sweet apples. Most are snow white on the inside. One tree has whitish flesh with red tints bleeding through. All of the trees were heavily laden and all about was the evidence of deer. Apparently the trees are a favourite among the local ungulate population.
Last weekend we made an afternoon trip during a break from what has seemed like constant rain to pick apples. Here's what we came away with:
We've now sorted and stored most of these apples in the root cellar and the rest have been made into sauce and used in cooking. The front porch still smells comfortably of apples.
With Thanksgiving came the fall colours. Some trees are mid-change:
Others have completely changed like this great tree just down the street:
And others, like this one in our front yard, have lost their leaves completely:
In writing news, I continue to plod away at Patriot. I haven't been writing as much as I would like. Holidays and school PD days have been playing havoc with anything like a schedule, as has the park I am working on for our local Heritage Committee. Yesterday I returned to a project that has been shelved for a while and since the story starts on a sunny autumn day it seemed appropriate for me to work on it while the sun shines and the leaves blow in whirlwinds among the trees. The story? My children's story about an orphaned giant who has to find his way in the world.
Speaking of the Heritage park - BT Corner is coming along nicely. The stone wall is being built. It's a joy to watch the masons work. They're real craftsmen and I am a huge fan of craftsmanship. Yesterday they began to lay the paving and I'm thinking today they might be in a position to level the limestone screening.
Here's where we stand as of about 6 o'clock last night:
Coming along nicely...
A few weeks back the family headed out to the farm I grew up on to make a few repairs to my mother's house. While we were there I took the kids for a walk around the perimeter of the property. A lot has changed since I was growing up there and yet a lot remains the same. During the walk every hundred yards or so we'd sample the ripening apples on the trees we passed that grow in the fence rows. Apart from the tree in the barnyard with the enormous pie apples, I don't really recall sampling the fruit from the trees scattered along the edges of the property.
We were surprised at the variety and the bounty. Some were tart but one tree has these amazingly sweet apples. Most are snow white on the inside. One tree has whitish flesh with red tints bleeding through. All of the trees were heavily laden and all about was the evidence of deer. Apparently the trees are a favourite among the local ungulate population.
Last weekend we made an afternoon trip during a break from what has seemed like constant rain to pick apples. Here's what we came away with:
We've now sorted and stored most of these apples in the root cellar and the rest have been made into sauce and used in cooking. The front porch still smells comfortably of apples.
With Thanksgiving came the fall colours. Some trees are mid-change:
Others have completely changed like this great tree just down the street:
And others, like this one in our front yard, have lost their leaves completely:
In writing news, I continue to plod away at Patriot. I haven't been writing as much as I would like. Holidays and school PD days have been playing havoc with anything like a schedule, as has the park I am working on for our local Heritage Committee. Yesterday I returned to a project that has been shelved for a while and since the story starts on a sunny autumn day it seemed appropriate for me to work on it while the sun shines and the leaves blow in whirlwinds among the trees. The story? My children's story about an orphaned giant who has to find his way in the world.
Speaking of the Heritage park - BT Corner is coming along nicely. The stone wall is being built. It's a joy to watch the masons work. They're real craftsmen and I am a huge fan of craftsmanship. Yesterday they began to lay the paving and I'm thinking today they might be in a position to level the limestone screening.
Here's where we stand as of about 6 o'clock last night:
Coming along nicely...
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
3 Day Done
This morning I look around
All my treats are gone - there are empty diet Coke cans spilling out of the recycling bag - coffee has no appeal to me (that'll change) but that can of Red Bull stayed in the fridge (temptation was there around 9:30 last night).
So - what do I have to show for spending a glorious weekend - maybe the best Labour Day weekend in years - sequestered away from my family?
Well - there's a dime-sized callous on my middle finger, my eyes are red, my gut rumbles constantly from all of the sugary, fatty crap I've been spilling into it and my lower back is a chiropractor's wet dream.
Oh - and there's this:
And take a look at this:
That's right kiddies, 137 hand-written pages of fun. If you're not even a little impressed, I encourage you to try it some time. But they're not just words on paper - it's a fully self contained story with a plot, interesting three dimensional characters and everything.
But it's not all joy. There were a few dead soldiers who gave their all and didn't survive the journey:
Actually, I think the guy on the left might have a bit of life left in him.
I must thank my wife who lovingly typed the pages as I brought them up and who shepherded our wild children over the weekend. She even brought me snacks. I'll say it again, I certainly married up.
Now The Platinum Ticket and Patriot have company:
I think three looks much better than two.
And to my new pal Herne?
Thanks for the ride, Antlered Dude!
Friday, 4 September 2009
12 hours and counting...
The kids are home again today - after 3 days of school the teachers needed a PD day before the Labour Day Weekend apparently...
I have been preparing for this weekend's ordeal.
Here is where I'll be spending the lion's share of my weekend. For a tiny basement office it is a surprisingly bright space.
Most of the actual writing takes place here:
As you can see by the tools laid out on the chair, I am planning to hand write the novel this weekend.
This is the folder I've used the last two times. Hopefully 3 times is the charm. Last time I ran through 3 rollerball pens and about 135 pieces of lined paper. I should be covered.
Just in case I'm not:
During the 3 days of the contest it is important to keep your energy levels up. Snacks while writing I find are better than meals.
I find a combination of sweet and savoury works best and yes, that bowl in front is filled with chocolate covered coffee beans.
Caffeine is key, but too much coffee leads to gut-rot. Hence my second favourite means of caffeine intake.
And, as a carnivore, one can never underestimate the importance of meat on demand.
Inspiration is even more important than nutrition and sleep, so I keep these close by in the office to remind me that a short novel can be written over the course of a long weekend.
Those are the original handwritten manuscripts of my previous 2 successes. That's The Platinum Ticket on the left (129 hand written pages) and Patriot on the right (119 pages, again, lovingly hand written).
But even with my office, my paper, my pens and various snacks, I realize that there may come a time when I need a little extra something to keep me going. I normally don't approve of such measures and react badly to the stuff (last time I had this it felt like my hair was on fire - and not just the hair on my head) so I consider this my "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" measure.
Until just before midnight I plan to get out and enjoy this amazing day. More later...
Monday, 6 July 2009
A whole new look
I've had the blog's new look up and running for about a week now. What prompted a make-over? Well...a couple of things.
The Sand-dragon eating its creator was a fitting symbol for a blog about writing. It fit in with the fantasy theme and often when writing it feels like the writing is trying to devour the writer. Lately, however, I find my writing moving away from the fantasy genre. To tell the truth, Loremaster, my 700 page novel, is about the only thing truly "fantasy" that I've written.
More and more, of late, my writing has moved toward stories more rooted in worlds we recognize very much as our own. It's true that I've put out some horror stories lately and I'm currently working on a science-fiction story with a real Twilight Zone feel to it but more and more I keep returning to my Patriot re-write and The Witch and Small Town Secrets, all stories placed in reality (more or less).
I also wanted a more personal touch to the blog. The Sand-dragon was not my picture. It was a photo from a competition held in Vancouver (I believe) and the picture spoke to me so I used it on the title bar of the blog. The tin-boat above is a photo taken by me during a vacation in Northern Ontario a few years back. I snapped this picture shortly after dawn while the mist was still dancing across the still waters of the lake.
The boat, incidental, was on loan to me from my brother-in-law. I've caught a lot of bass in that boat...
Speaking of a whole new look - on a personal level - after 42 years yours truly finally has an ass. It's barely noticeable to the casual observer, but to me it's positively magnificent. My wife attributes the bike riding and the elliptical machine at the gym. After a lifetime of having an ass you could use as a straight edge, I finally have a little curve at the base of my spine. And hard! Sweet Jesus - if you need to strike a match or crack a walnut - I'm your guy. (Well, not quite yet...)
Anyway - kids are heading to bed and want me to read a story so I guess I'd better get my brand new ass upstairs.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
The sick things I look at...and a lovely little Corner
All kinds of flu - avian flu, swine flu, horse flu, dog flu - even duck flu. All of them - potentially the next great pandemic that will shake we humans off the earth's back like so many fleas off a dog.
I have also been going over the numbers for SARS. All of this is background material as I flesh out Patriot. SARS appears to have been the global wake-up call for serious pandemic planning and we are seeing the effectiveness of that planning with the handling of the current swine flu outbreak.
The problem is, in Patriot, the world's Pandemic Plans need to fail - and catastrophically so. Hence the research.
Beyond obsessing over horrific respiratory diseases and influenza, it has been a fairly fruitful week. As I have written before, I am a member of the local heritage committee. I also chair the BT Corner Sub-committee.
"What's a BT Corner?" you might ask.
This is:
And here it is in three dimensions:
It is a small park that commemorates an industrial and social powerhouse in my community. In 1874 a pair of brothers came to Fergus and started a machine shop which grew into, at one time, the largest producer of farm implements in the British Empire. Those brothers were George and Mathew Beatty and their company was Beatty Brothers Limited.
We've been raising funds etc for some time and had a bit of luck last week. The Grand River Agricultural Society has generously donated $15,000 over the next three years. Thanks to them, our little commemorative park is a definite go.
Next time I'll add a bit more about the Corner, but for now it's back to the Pandemic...
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Thaw
After the deep freeze comes the thaw - or close enough.
The last few days have been flirting with the happy side of the freezing point. Spring can't come too soon in these parts. I was, however, speaking this morning with a local oldtimer who was saying that this winter really wasn't any worse than the ones we routinely had thirty years ago and you know what - he's right. When I was a kid I remember tobogganing down the snowdrift that formed annually over our drive shed. We haven't had too many "over the drive shed" winters in recent years. I guess we can put up with one every now and then.
The last few weeks have been busy ones for me. There's a project I kind of volunteered to chair for our local Heritage Committee. It's for a little park to commemorate an influential family in my town's history. As the park edges closer and closer to becoming reality I find myself becoming increasingly more involved. I'm not complaining - it's kind of cool to be a part of something that will last forever (the lot where the park is to be built has been vacant since the town survey of 1853-54 so once it's a park, it'll always be a park) but the project is devouring my time.
I have found time, however, to work on the rewrite of Patriot. As of about a half hour ago I have re-written three of the chapters to a point where I'm satisfied they work. When the novel is completely rewritten I'll be able to judge if I'm completely satisfied that they work.
I have also been out and about with the camera. Due to the shifting weather there has been a host of spectacular scenery to shoot. Maybe tomorrow I'll post some of the pictures.
Must go - my fourth chapter of Patriot is waiting...
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Mercury Rising
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
For the first time in what seems like forever the temperature has moved to the happy side of zero. It's 3 degrees Celsius right now and the forecast promises to hover around the freezing point for the next week or so. You know it has been a long, cold winter when dancing around the freezing point is something to look forward to.
I gave Root of Evil a day to stew and have been going through it looking for typos and opportunities to make the flow and cadence run a little more naturally. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the result. A little more clean-up and I'll send it out into the world.
I've now written two scary stories in the last little while and I have been looking toward the British markets. Not only does the UK seem to grasp horror stories more readily but they tend to pay more. Short horror stories in North America tend to get a price from anywhere from about 1/2 cent per word up to as high a 8 or 10 cents a word. The UK pays about the same per word but here's the thing - their pennies are worth twice as much. I haven't decided where I'll be sending Root of Evil but Britain certainly has its advantages.
Next up is rxpanding Patriot to novel length- to start, anyway. I'll try alternating between The Witch and Patriot but I'm dubious how successful that will be. We'll see.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Root of Evil
It is finished - well, the first draft is anyway. Around 3:45 this afternoon I put the stake through the heart of Root of Evil. I've forwarded it off to the usual suspects for a first reading and will look at it myself in about a week to edit. For now I'm just glad to have it done. At just over 12,300 words I'm not so sure it's a short story anymore but we'll see where it ends up after editing.
I'm thinking Patriot is next up, but The Witch is calling out to me too. Maybe alternating days - work on one, next day the other? I've never tried that before - might just work.
It is numbingly cold here again today. Since we got the dog I am more aware of the cold (nightly 11:00pm walks will do that), but I must say my usual hatred of winter has lost its zest. I guess having kids takes the edge off - I mean who can be too pissed off at the cold when the people you love most are hauling you out into it for tobaggoning and snowball fights.
A little bit of news - The Beynon family is heading to the UK in the spring. At Christmas my aunt not so subtly hinted that she and my uncle are not getting any younger and that a visit was long overdue. We agree and are making plans.
One last thing - that picture of me up there. It's been two years and about fifteen pounds (I'm lighter now, thanks for asking) since that picture was taken and it's time for something new. It'll change in the next few days, I'm sure.
That's all for now - kids are calling.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
The Big Chill
It is cold outside - the coldest it's been this year (granted, the year is only 14 days old). The little gadget in the corner of my screen tells me it's -13 Celsius in Guelph but having just walked the dog I just know it's colder - windchill and all that, I'm sure.
I have fired off my application for the MFA program and now I wait to see how I'm spending my days come September. Thanks to those who vouched for me. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Root of Evil is open on the other screen just waiting to be worked on but Patriot keeps catching my eye and I find myself reviewing select parts of it to scope out places for improvement. I thought the original manuscript was pretty damn good but the perspective I've gained from letting it sit for a while has really shown me how much better it can be.
I also need to pass along my secret, guilt pleasure. I love Stephen King - not everything - he's written some real dogs, but I am always impressed by the storytelling, if not always the story. He has written an excellent book, On Writing, which I recommend to anyone. For Christmas I received his latest soft cover, Duma Key and I find it engaging. Duma Key has been eating up my writing time but no more - I'll finish it tonight!
Must get back to work...
I'm going to get back to Root of Evil and see if I can put it to bed.
Monday, 5 January 2009
A whole new year
The holidays were busy and filled with delight but it's nice to settle back into routine.
Walked the kids to school today then came home and got right down to business. Business today was completing my application for the MFA I intend to begin in the autumn. I am still assembling the "package" - transcripts, letters of reference and a portfolio sampling some of my work but the application itself is done.
While putting together "the package" I rewrote a chapter in my novella Patriot. I needed to clean it up and flesh it out and I am very pleased with the finished result - so pleased, in fact, that rewriting Patriot to novel length has moved up the priority list. Root of Evil still needs to be finished and The Witch has been waiting too long and Gerry has barely stumbled out of the gate but Patriot is beckoning.
I guess I have a lot to do...
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Awesome
Well...she's here to stay.
My last post talked about the lovely Willow and how if she adjusted to life at the Beynon house she would be a welcome addition to the family. I'm happy to report that after a few nailbiting days where she wouldn't eat her food, Willow is comfortable and happy in our home. We are all so very pleased.
With Willow adjusting to life in the house, I haven't been getting as much writing done as I would like. I made a little bit of progress on The Witch. I also reread Patriot in preparation to flesh it out to novel length. In addition, I have been mapping out a series of stories centered around the main character in one of my short stories, Old Timer. Another project that has been on the back burner is Middleman Acquisitions and it seems that a crossover between Old Timer and Middleman Acquisitions is inevitable. It's great to have tons of material, but now I need to knuckle down and get it on paper.
One last little note-about a week ago I was watching the Discovery Channel - someone who writes speculative fiction does well to watch the Discovery Channel -and I came across this little gem below.
Enjoy-I really did...
My last post talked about the lovely Willow and how if she adjusted to life at the Beynon house she would be a welcome addition to the family. I'm happy to report that after a few nailbiting days where she wouldn't eat her food, Willow is comfortable and happy in our home. We are all so very pleased.
With Willow adjusting to life in the house, I haven't been getting as much writing done as I would like. I made a little bit of progress on The Witch. I also reread Patriot in preparation to flesh it out to novel length. In addition, I have been mapping out a series of stories centered around the main character in one of my short stories, Old Timer. Another project that has been on the back burner is Middleman Acquisitions and it seems that a crossover between Old Timer and Middleman Acquisitions is inevitable. It's great to have tons of material, but now I need to knuckle down and get it on paper.
One last little note-about a week ago I was watching the Discovery Channel - someone who writes speculative fiction does well to watch the Discovery Channel -and I came across this little gem below.
Enjoy-I really did...
Monday, 25 August 2008
Routine
Howdy, all.
It has been a while but I'm finally getting around to putting together a post. Settling back into routine proved to be a little harder than expected upon returning from vacation but while I'm not yet in the groove, at least I can see it.
One little vacation story to relate and really something kinda cool. On our last day of vacation while heading back toward the highway through Kingston, Ontario my wife asked if we wanted to visit the grave site of Sir John A. Macdonald - 1st prime minister of Canada. While visiting the grave we stretched our legs in the impressive old cemetery. The first thing my son noticed were a number of holes in the ground around one of the tombstones. I assume they were rabbit-holes but it was the only tombstone that sported holes around it. A little creepy to be sure but my son also spied a stick apparently dragged deep into one of the holes. Without a hint of hesitation his arm was suddenly shoulder deep in the hole retrieving the stick. It has since been dubbed "the Ghoul Stick" and is not allowed in the house. A few minutes later I was photographing an impressive family plot when my son came up behind me and said, "Hey, Dad, look at the box I found under that bush!"
I turned and saw my son with the ghoul stick in one hand and in the other he held a sealed Tupperware container completely covered with camouflage tape. Now I had a pretty good idea what was in the box but I told everyone to stand a few feet back while I opened it anyway. Inside was a stamp,an explanatory note, some markers and directions to the next box. I wish I still had the note but it has been misplaced but it explained that this box is part of a game called Atlasquest - basically a scavenger hunt on a grand scale. Check out the website - they're all over the place.
During my first week back I received a rejection letter. I have read somewhere that a rejection letter from the New Yorker is supposedly the holy grail of rejection letters - I forget where. Well, a rejection letter from the New Yorker has no useful information so like any form rejection letter it is exactly that - useless. Here's the letter - note the milky-white stationary.
Finally - and it's funny because as I type this I just received an e-mail from them - The 3 Day Novel Contest is closing in. Each Labour Day Weekend a contest is held to see what kind of novel can be written over the 72 hours of the holiday weekend. I have entered the last 2 years and both novellas - The Platinum Ticket and Patriot - are works of which I am very proud. This year, however, I will take a pass. There are a few reasons - kids start school the day immediately following the weekend and I don't need to be exhausted for that. I am also building a routine in which writing a set amount each and every day is a crucial part of my success. I don't want to mess with the routine just as I'm establishing it. In the past I have found the exercise of the 3 Day Novel extremely rewarding - I highly recommend it to others and will no doubt do it again in the future - but just not this year.
Anyway, speaking of routines - I need to get back to mine...
It has been a while but I'm finally getting around to putting together a post. Settling back into routine proved to be a little harder than expected upon returning from vacation but while I'm not yet in the groove, at least I can see it.
One little vacation story to relate and really something kinda cool. On our last day of vacation while heading back toward the highway through Kingston, Ontario my wife asked if we wanted to visit the grave site of Sir John A. Macdonald - 1st prime minister of Canada. While visiting the grave we stretched our legs in the impressive old cemetery. The first thing my son noticed were a number of holes in the ground around one of the tombstones. I assume they were rabbit-holes but it was the only tombstone that sported holes around it. A little creepy to be sure but my son also spied a stick apparently dragged deep into one of the holes. Without a hint of hesitation his arm was suddenly shoulder deep in the hole retrieving the stick. It has since been dubbed "the Ghoul Stick" and is not allowed in the house. A few minutes later I was photographing an impressive family plot when my son came up behind me and said, "Hey, Dad, look at the box I found under that bush!"
I turned and saw my son with the ghoul stick in one hand and in the other he held a sealed Tupperware container completely covered with camouflage tape. Now I had a pretty good idea what was in the box but I told everyone to stand a few feet back while I opened it anyway. Inside was a stamp,an explanatory note, some markers and directions to the next box. I wish I still had the note but it has been misplaced but it explained that this box is part of a game called Atlasquest - basically a scavenger hunt on a grand scale. Check out the website - they're all over the place.
During my first week back I received a rejection letter. I have read somewhere that a rejection letter from the New Yorker is supposedly the holy grail of rejection letters - I forget where. Well, a rejection letter from the New Yorker has no useful information so like any form rejection letter it is exactly that - useless. Here's the letter - note the milky-white stationary.
Speaking of rejections - I had a useful one before going on vacation regarding my story Just Business. In the letter there were suggestions and constructive criticism and from those suggestions and criticisms a story evolved. The story is called Old Timer and I think it's pretty damn fine. It has, of course, been submitted to the magazine that took the time to offer the suggestions.
Finally - and it's funny because as I type this I just received an e-mail from them - The 3 Day Novel Contest is closing in. Each Labour Day Weekend a contest is held to see what kind of novel can be written over the 72 hours of the holiday weekend. I have entered the last 2 years and both novellas - The Platinum Ticket and Patriot - are works of which I am very proud. This year, however, I will take a pass. There are a few reasons - kids start school the day immediately following the weekend and I don't need to be exhausted for that. I am also building a routine in which writing a set amount each and every day is a crucial part of my success. I don't want to mess with the routine just as I'm establishing it. In the past I have found the exercise of the 3 Day Novel extremely rewarding - I highly recommend it to others and will no doubt do it again in the future - but just not this year.
Anyway, speaking of routines - I need to get back to mine...
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Loremaster Revisited
So maybe a story week was a little ambitious considering my current project.…
But, I am happy to say that my current project is now my finished project! Yesterday afternoon, at about 3:45 PM, I put the finishing touches on my Loremaster manuscript. 
About another half hour was spent fiddling with fonts and type sizes. I ended up settling on the standard Times New Roman and reduced it from a 12 to 11 pt font. By changing it to 11 pt I was able to reduce the overall length of the manuscript from 618 pages to a much more manageable, and more cheaply posted, 513 pages. I also spent some time, actually about 45 minutes, finding and replacing all those words that are different in British spelling than American spelling. I’m talking about words like “honour” and “armour” and changing them to “honor” and “armor”. In a fantasy novel where one of the major characters is the personification of knightly conduct, there were a lot of changes to be made. At the end of it all I figure there were about ¾ of a page of “u” s that vanished from the
Yesterday, around 4:45 PM, with disk in hand, I walked into one of our local printers. This morning I returned to pick up the manuscript. There’s something profoundly weighty about 513 pages that you have painstakingly written and revised and revised again. The manuscript sits here at my side waiting only for a cover letter and a synopsis before being bundled up and sent screaming into the world. That's it in the photo up there...
Now that Loremaster has been effectively put to bed it is time for me to move on to other projects. One of these projects is to get started on my short-story-a-week program. This week’s story will be set in a little village I’ve created called Mitchell’s Crossing and center around a former ballerina with a wooden leg. Guess what her first name is...
I’m also going to get started on either the flesh-out of Patriot or The Platinum Ticket or I’ll start working again on a novel length piece of fiction I started last year called, Nothing’s Made To Last.
There are a few things of note going on in my little town this week that I’d like to pass along. The Elora Writers Festival takes place this Sunday. I understand there are still tickets available and you can follow the link to the web site for more info. My wife and I went last year and it was a great experience. If you find yourself in the neighbourhood this weekend, plan on attending.
Also going on in my
There’s a lot more going on that I’ll cover in the next post but for now that dancer with the prosthetic limb wants to shake a leg…
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
A story a week...
Ambitious? Yes, but something I can do. In addition to finishing the Loremaster edit, fleshing out Patriot and The Platinum Ticket and putting together a couple of rough outlines 
for a few other novel length projects I have decided on a goal of one short story a week - written, edited and submitted to market. To this end I have blown the dust off a couple of books in the basement.
One - none too dusty actually - is Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich. In his book, Novakovich presents a complete Fiction Workshop with a good number of story assignments. Taking my recent successes from the Fiction Workshop I attended earlier this year, I can see the value of a creative springboard.
The second book is much older and has a touch of sentimental value. It is called Writing with a Purpose by John M. Bassett and Donald G. Rutledge. This particular copy of the book was published in 1958. It was presented to me in grade seven by my teacher, Mr. Ian Morrison. Mr. Morrison is also the guy who tried - and failed - to teach me how to play a musical instrument. My most vivid memory of Ian Morrison is an errant stick of chalk hurled in anger that nailed the girl sitting next to me. No - the chalk wasn't intended for little Dave Beynon - he was actually trying for the kid behind the girl but his aim was rather awful. But I digress...
Writing with a Purpose is a great all-round primer for any sort of writing you might choose to do. Essays and letters comprise a good deal of the material but there are some real creative writing gems scattered throughout.
Why a story a week? Well - I need to get some publishing credits and I need them sooner than later. In Issac Asimov's compilation, Gold, he reprinted a number of essays from the magazine that bore his name. In one of the essays he speaks about cover letters and getting published. One thing he talks about are how self-doubting most fiction editors are, himself included. He said that when an editor sees previous writing credits cited in the cover letter it makes him or her far more likely to give the story serious consideration. Those previous publishing credits tell the editor that other editors have found this author's work salable. Of course, the writing still needs to be good, but those publishing credit are priceless.
I already have five short stories making the rounds. With additional stories entering the world each week my chances increase that much more and once I can add publishing credits to the cover letters...well, the sky's the limit. Publishing credits also come in handy in finding agents and publishers for novel length fiction.
Speaking of writing, I need to edit some more Loremaster... next time I plan on talking about having fun...
for a few other novel length projects I have decided on a goal of one short story a week - written, edited and submitted to market. To this end I have blown the dust off a couple of books in the basement.One - none too dusty actually - is Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich. In his book, Novakovich presents a complete Fiction Workshop with a good number of story assignments. Taking my recent successes from the Fiction Workshop I attended earlier this year, I can see the value of a creative springboard.
The second book is much older and has a touch of sentimental value. It is called Writing with a Purpose by John M. Bassett and Donald G. Rutledge. This particular copy of the book was published in 1958. It was presented to me in grade seven by my teacher, Mr. Ian Morrison. Mr. Morrison is also the guy who tried - and failed - to teach me how to play a musical instrument. My most vivid memory of Ian Morrison is an errant stick of chalk hurled in anger that nailed the girl sitting next to me. No - the chalk wasn't intended for little Dave Beynon - he was actually trying for the kid behind the girl but his aim was rather awful. But I digress...
Writing with a Purpose is a great all-round primer for any sort of writing you might choose to do. Essays and letters comprise a good deal of the material but there are some real creative writing gems scattered throughout.
Why a story a week? Well - I need to get some publishing credits and I need them sooner than later. In Issac Asimov's compilation, Gold, he reprinted a number of essays from the magazine that bore his name. In one of the essays he speaks about cover letters and getting published. One thing he talks about are how self-doubting most fiction editors are, himself included. He said that when an editor sees previous writing credits cited in the cover letter it makes him or her far more likely to give the story serious consideration. Those previous publishing credits tell the editor that other editors have found this author's work salable. Of course, the writing still needs to be good, but those publishing credit are priceless.
I already have five short stories making the rounds. With additional stories entering the world each week my chances increase that much more and once I can add publishing credits to the cover letters...well, the sky's the limit. Publishing credits also come in handy in finding agents and publishers for novel length fiction.
Speaking of writing, I need to edit some more Loremaster... next time I plan on talking about having fun...
Friday, 22 February 2008
Structure, setting and submissions
This week marked a return to the Writing workshop after a 2 week absence.
This week we spoke of setting and structure and the type of language used to achieve the desired effect in writing. We spoke of the importance of dialog and how versatile well-written dialog can be.
Our exercise this week was to construct a scene, using dialog effectively, between Sisyphus and his wife as she brings him his lunch. Sisyphus was the Greek king who was doomed for all eternity to roll a massive boulder up a hill. It was a fun exercise and I encourage you to try it for yourself. My effort is over in my writing notebook that you can link to here.
While you're at the notebook have a look around (the notebook can be accessed just to the left and above ). One of the stories has been submitted to the Missouri Review for consideration. The same story has been submitted to the New Quarterly, as well.
Loremaster has been seeing some slow editing over the past weeks, but I anticipate a flurry of motion in the next little while. My goal for submission is to have the manuscript in the mail no later than March 15th. I have been putting together a new beginning for my novella, The Platinum Ticket, as part its evolution in becoming a full length novel. So far all the work has been in my head, but it will find paper while I'm cleaning up Loremaster. Patriot hasn't seen any revision yet, but that will come with time.
All this writing and a new job search on the horizon. Exciting!
This week we spoke of setting and structure and the type of language used to achieve the desired effect in writing. We spoke of the importance of dialog and how versatile well-written dialog can be.
Our exercise this week was to construct a scene, using dialog effectively, between Sisyphus and his wife as she brings him his lunch. Sisyphus was the Greek king who was doomed for all eternity to roll a massive boulder up a hill. It was a fun exercise and I encourage you to try it for yourself. My effort is over in my writing notebook that you can link to here.
While you're at the notebook have a look around (the notebook can be accessed just to the left and above ). One of the stories has been submitted to the Missouri Review for consideration. The same story has been submitted to the New Quarterly, as well.
Loremaster has been seeing some slow editing over the past weeks, but I anticipate a flurry of motion in the next little while. My goal for submission is to have the manuscript in the mail no later than March 15th. I have been putting together a new beginning for my novella, The Platinum Ticket, as part its evolution in becoming a full length novel. So far all the work has been in my head, but it will find paper while I'm cleaning up Loremaster. Patriot hasn't seen any revision yet, but that will come with time.
All this writing and a new job search on the horizon. Exciting!
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
It's a whole New Year...
As I said in my last post on New Year’s Eve – last year was a pivotal one for me. All years are pivotal but I was actually paying attention during this one.
After far too many years running on a treadmill for a packaging company, I found myself in January of last year in a position where I could take a long hard look at what I had made of my life and what direction I wanted to steer things for the future.
First let me say that as lives go, I have been fairly lucky. I’m 40 years old and still have all of my fingers and toes – all 21 of ‘em. My general health is good. I’m fairly intelligent and somewhat well educated. And to top it all off I am blessed with a wonderful, healthy family that loves me (let’s face it – if you have that, anything else is gravy).
On the other side of the equation had been a job that offered little in the way of fulfillment. There was frustration and stress and though the money was pretty good, it was not enough to compensate for the incredible bullshit to reward ratio – bullshit winning out every time.
In January 2007 I decided to start things off by finishing a novel that had been shelved for many years. A goodly portion of the novel was written while I was at University with infrequent visits every few years adding to the story. Starting that first week of 2007 I wrote everyday until finally, in mid February, the first draft was finished. It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment. The novel was nearly complete when I settled in for the day. From the first few typed words I could smell blood. I knew that today was the day. I might have stopped briefly for a hot dog lunch but as my wife returned home around 5:30pm I was still tapping away at the keyboard. I was so close, I could taste it when my wife said, “Remember, it’s your turn to take the boy to indoor soccer.”
Normally I am riveted to my son’s soccer games, but this evening I was on such a high that I was writing and revising the final paragraphs in my head and I have to admit that I remember virtually nothing of the game. Home we came – ahhh - bedtime routine for the kids – stories – songs (please, sweet Jesus, go to sleep easily tonight) and finally, with a last flutter of eyelids, I crept to the door and rushed to the basement.
“Dinner?” my wife asked as I swept past her.
“Later…” I said, “Almost done – couple hundred or so words…love you.”
I lowered myself at the keyboard and pounded out the final scene and, as I typed “The End” I was filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction I have never experienced before.
“So this is what slaying a dragon must feel like.”
I’m pretty sure I said those words out loud.
With a novel finished and in need of a rewrite I decided I needed some distance before I set to that task. I wrote a number of short stories and started a couple of novels. The novels are both derived from a novella, The Platinum Ticket, that I will flesh out to novel length this year. I also sent out numerous queries to various agents to represent my completed novel, Loremaster. I soon discovered that finding an agent is very difficult even for a published author and next to impossible for an unpublished one. I intend to start a new round of agent queries later this month now that I have gotten over my initial round of rejections.
Good ol’ Loremaster needs one last polish – a complete, word by word walk-through over the next month or so – and then I’ll submit to DAW books to see if it can rise, cream-like, through their slush pile.
Over the Labour Day weekend I took part in the 3 Day Novel contest and create what I consider to be one of my finest stories – a novella called Patriot. Normally the results of the 3 Day Novel contest are announced during the month of January. I am keeping my fingers crossed. If it doesn’t win, Patriot can easily be expanded to novel length without losing any of its flavour.
There are also some new ideas that will be worked on this year. I have some lovely ideas about demons,
With all of this on the go, I am looking forward to a productive 2008.
Monday, 1 October 2007
yeah, that's the Ticket, baby!
It was an exciting weekend here at the Beynon homestead. My sweet missus was away for the weekend leaving me with the kids. It was great...but tiring.
What I would really like to know is who sneaks into the house and slips the kids the cocaine. Seriously, one second everything will be fine. Everyone will be full of love and happiness and then something happens and all hell lets loose.
Now I worked extra hard this weekend monitoring for the early signs of escalation and headed each potential derailer of harmony off at the pass but I was doomed to fail from the start. There's two of them and even though I'm the adult...they're smarter than me.
All told, there was no blood and only some tears and most of those were shed by me late in the day when I had finally cajoled, bargained and sang the kids to sleep.
When my wife came home on Sunday afternoon two lightning streaks swept by me to greet her. You'd have thought I'd had them in shackles from their reaction. I was equally glad to see her, though she did show up just as Mike Weir and Tiger Woods were closing in on the fifteenth hole of the President's Cup and thus had to wait for her hug.
Last night after the children were asleep I had to retreat for about an hour and a half to the basement to finish polishing The Platinum Ticket for submission to Jim Baen's Universe. I had forgotten about the September 30th deadline until earlier in the day. Fortunately I was able to tweak a few parts that needed some attention and get it submitted. Now the waiting game begins.
My wife has lent the manuscript for Patriot to a few of her colleagues at work and so far all of the feedback has been very positive. I've let a few friends take a gander at it as well and it has been received with some enthusiasm. Currently the manuscript stands at 112 pages - a typical length for an entry in the 3 Day Novel Contest - but Patriot could easily be fleshed out to full novel length without losing any of the spirit of the story.
What I would really like to know is who sneaks into the house and slips the kids the cocaine. Seriously, one second everything will be fine. Everyone will be full of love and happiness and then something happens and all hell lets loose.
Now I worked extra hard this weekend monitoring for the early signs of escalation and headed each potential derailer of harmony off at the pass but I was doomed to fail from the start. There's two of them and even though I'm the adult...they're smarter than me.
All told, there was no blood and only some tears and most of those were shed by me late in the day when I had finally cajoled, bargained and sang the kids to sleep.
When my wife came home on Sunday afternoon two lightning streaks swept by me to greet her. You'd have thought I'd had them in shackles from their reaction. I was equally glad to see her, though she did show up just as Mike Weir and Tiger Woods were closing in on the fifteenth hole of the President's Cup and thus had to wait for her hug.
Last night after the children were asleep I had to retreat for about an hour and a half to the basement to finish polishing The Platinum Ticket for submission to Jim Baen's Universe. I had forgotten about the September 30th deadline until earlier in the day. Fortunately I was able to tweak a few parts that needed some attention and get it submitted. Now the waiting game begins.
My wife has lent the manuscript for Patriot to a few of her colleagues at work and so far all of the feedback has been very positive. I've let a few friends take a gander at it as well and it has been received with some enthusiasm. Currently the manuscript stands at 112 pages - a typical length for an entry in the 3 Day Novel Contest - but Patriot could easily be fleshed out to full novel length without losing any of the spirit of the story.
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