Happenings In The Outhouse 31-May-2013 / Deadline looms!

The May 31st deadline to finish Shadowkill has come . . . and gone.  I am currently at almost 64K words, 312 pages, and I am nearing the end.

The major plot points are converging nicely, better than expected, and even tied an event in the end to the prologue.  I'm so close to getting it done that if you follow my Twitter feed (search MarkSRPeterson in Twitter if you have an account and follow me--more than likely I'll follow back) I will announce it on there.  It should happen this weekend--or possibly even tonight.

I have a bit of work to do on it, but it'll have to sit for a while as I work on other writing projects.  It's only a first draft, and even if I get close to 70K before the end, I still feel that is a bit light on the word count.

Then again, that's what editing and future drafts are for.

I am halfway through my final polish edits with Beholder's Eye.  By and large, it's good.  Just a few minor points I'm fixing.  I'm still brainstorming a cover.  I haven't quite found one that I'm just jumping for joy over.

Once Shadowkill is done I have the first draft of an inspirational piece I'm working on.  I'll hold back on the title at this time, but this one will probably be a novella.  I will also put it out on the Kindle and Smashwords, just like "Guest of Honor".

**Updated note: as of 11:30pm on May 31st, I finished Shadowkill.  It's over 67K words on a first draft.  Finished it right on schedule.**

Back to school (sort of)

What if you had the opportunity to take a creative writing class taught by a bestselling novelist?

Never fear, the time is now.  Brandon Sanderson--bestselling fantasy novelist who finished out the late Robert Jordon's Wheel of Time series and is at work on his own fantasy series called the Stormlight Archives--is teaching a writing class this summer, starting June 3rd through the end of September 2013.

If you just felt your wallet get lighter, you might want to either check the man who just ran into you because this class is . . . FREE!

Well, free in terms of monetary cost.  What it will cost you is your own determination and time to learn the writing skills that he's learned from other bestselling authors.  If you have ever wanted to become a writer, check it out.

Here is a link to the class, which starts June 3rd.

All of the information regarding the class is on the link, so be sure to check it out.

I am.

I am already registered.

There will be work involved, so don't say I didn't warn you.  Then again, if you're already a writer, aspiring towards publication, you know what work is and is not put off by it.

For an added bonus, on the same site is Brandon's 2012 class.  The link to it is here.

Writing the "other"

I recently wrote a gay character.  My first one.  He wasn't a main character, by any means, but he wasn't entirely insignificant.

I didn't set out to write a gay character--and I certainly didn't set out not to write one either.  It just happened.  That's the way my stories seem to go.

I am not gay, so to write a character like that was a little challenging.  But no more challenging than writing women.  Or a Native American.  Or a lawyer.  Or a homeless man.  Anything that isn't an overweight white male in his early 40s.  The last thing I wanted to do with it was write the character as clique as possible.  I wanted to write them . . . er, normal.

Or as normal as possible.

The same could go for Blacks or Hispanics or Native Americans or Martians.  For me, I want to stretch my boundaries and write them as believable as possible.  I do seem to take it as a challenge to write them outside the stereotypical norm.

I hope I succeeded.

Lastly, what I don't want to do is "hang a lantern" on these differences.  I didn't write the gay character as if they were a flashing billboard for homosexuality.  They just happened to be attracted to the same sex.

Happenings In The Outhouse 24-May-2013 / Lots in the oven

This week I put Shadowkill on temporary hold and edited a short story for submission into the "Writers of the Future Contest."  I know I don't stand much of a chance at winning, even honorable mention, but at least I'm trying.  At least I'm submitting.  I read it at this week's writers' group.  Evelyn and Jo liked it, despite the few corrections I had to make to it--even after so many edits, I can still find things to fix.

My deadline of next Friday, May 31st, for the first draft completion of Shadowkill is fast approaching.  I may not make it.  But I'm going to give it one heck of a shot.  I am currently on chapter 45, with over 56K words written.  Ideally, I'd like to see 75K, but the first draft will probably not see it because I am nearing the end--several plot points are converging, and one was even tied up.  I don't believe I can sustain another 19K worth of words.

I'm also in the process of putting together Beholder's Eye for self-publishing.  I'm still trying to nail down just the right cover, and I'm doing a final, final, final edit.  I've made a few minor changes.  Nothing drastic.

Live as if it's your last

Tragedies can befall us.

As we speak, tornadoes have ravaged Oklahoma.  Do you think they're worried about the rising gas prices?  Or some recent acts in Congress?

Probably not.

What about the recent victims of the Boston Marathon?  What do you think is on their mind?

There's a guy I know who's not only in his mid-20's, he's also battling leukemia . . . for the fourth time!  His wife and he met my wife two years ago when they were down at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Some things seem trivial in light of other tragic events.  For the past 3-4 days, much of Minnesota and North Dakota were rained pretty heavily upon.  I got a small amount of water in my basement, but I'm not complaining.  Things could be worse.  My wife, despite a constant battle with her eyes, is still in remission from her leukemia.

Things could be worse.

Tornadoes.  Floods.  Cancer.  Murder.  Suicide.

Yup.  It could be a lot worse.  I may not be happy about paying more at the gas pump, but life could be worse.  If everyone was to live as if it's their last, what kind of day would they serve?

What could they accomplish?

And for the writers and artists out there, what kind of art could we make?

If I met Joe Hill at a party

I could really name any number of people on this post instead of author Joe Hill (son of mega-bestselling author Stephen King) but one of the reasons I chose Joe Hill at this point was because of a recent interview he gave on Wired.com's Geek's Guide to the Galaxy.  Joe gave a gracious, insightful interview, and I was amazed at how humble he was.  I was impressed.  Joe spoke for over an hour, so click on this link and listen.

Back to the issue at hand, if I met Joe Hill at a party, one of the things I would ask is about his newest book release.  Why?  Because I knew he had one just recently launched.

A few weeks ago, I was at a large family event and there was family from as far away as Seattle.  Some were relatives I never met, and there were a few aunts and uncles I hadn't seen for a few years--I will note that one such cousin who I hoped would be attending but was unable to has a successful blog called Inside the Oldwolf Workshop.  He does woodwork unplugged, meaning without power and using hand tools.  His work is amazing, so you should definitely check out his blog.

Anyway, if I met this cousin Derek, I'd ask him about his latest projects.  Why?  Because I follow his blog regularly.  Not just once every six months.  I read every single blog post, so I know what projects he's working on.

Here's what I heard from a few relatives at this gathering: "Oh, I just love your blog.  I read it."

Great!  But there's just one thing missing . . . not one single person mentioned my latest published book Guest of Honor.  Not one.

I'm fine they don't read it on a regular basis.  Frankly, this blog isn't for them.  It's for writers, fans of mine, and basically anyone who wants to be successful.  I don't take offense at it.  I just found it odd.

Amazon link to novelette "Guest of Honor"

Kobo link to "Guest of Honor"

Happenings In The Outhouse 17-May-2013 / A strange thing happened at work

"I bought your book."

Those four words floored me.  Not that the person who spoke it was a complete stranger, because she wasn't.  I work with her at my full-time job.  But as we are in two different departments, this statement took me by surprise.

Ironically, I happened to be working on the hard copy of a future novel--possibly my four published work this year, with two others slated before it--at the time.  She had a few kind words to say about it, and how she read it while recently on a plane.

Aside from family and my writers' group, this is probably the first encounter I've had from someone who wasn't in one of those categerories.

I was jazzed!

I am currently over 52K words into Shadowkill, and I'm slating this novel to be done by May 31st.  It's coming along nicely, the plots and subplots emerging in a nice little tangle.  A subplot will soon be tied up, and others will follow.  At this point, I'm almost certain I will not make the 75K word count, and I'm okay with it.  Besides, I already know where I can strengthen it in the editing stage.

I'm also currently editing a short story to be submitted in this quarter's "Writers of the Future" contest.  I submitted one last quarter.  I have a little time before the July 1st deadline, but I'd like to get it off my plate soon.