If You Can Do It Better, Do It / Happenings In The Outhouse 27-May-2022

Critics.

People love to criticize the artistic works of others.

Love 'em or hate 'em, there have been critics for as long as humans have walked the Earth.  But some criticize far more than others.

I was listening to a podcast about the upcoming Lord of the Rings series coming to Amazon Prime later this year, and I was struck by how critical the folks were about the process and what story they were using to tell.  It reminded me of the criticism George R. R. Martin has received in regards to finishing his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

The same goes with other successful people, like Rowling and the new fantasy world she has created, and many others.

It drives me crazy when I hear about all the people speculating about this and that about a new series in the Marvel universe or Star Wars universe or whatever.

Me?  I just sit back and enjoy the show when it comes out.  No speculating.  Why?  It's a waste of my time.

I would rather spend my time creating my own worlds than speculating about others outside of my control.  Think about it for a moment.  Would you rather watch the movie unfold or actually be a part of it?

I go with the latter if my money is on the line.  I control my own creations.

Also, and here is the crux of what I'm getting at: if you think you can do better, then go ahead and do it.

Still Working / Happenings In The Outhouse 20-May-2022

Another short post today.

I'm in the middle of editing Sweet Dreams.  I'll share more of it in the upcoming weeks as the work comes to an end.

As far as what's next, I'm still pondering the next project.

Sweet Dreams Is Completed / Happenings In The Outhouse 13-May-2022

My current work-in-progress, a novel titled Sweet Dreams, is complete!

Wednesday, May 11, at 9:29pm, I wrote the final words to the first draft.  It is 566 pages long and is a staggering 115,962 words.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be putting the finishing touches, editing, and putting the cover together, and then it will be published in short time.

This novel had its genesis back in my college days, and was actually the second novel I had ever written.  I put it on the back burner while I wrote other novels and even edited it a number of times, before finally revising it close to 13 months ago, using the original draft as an outline for the current novel.

It turned out much better than I thought, and I hope you all love it too.  I will expand on what it's about in later posts.

Stay tuned . . .

The Long Road to Success / Happenings In The Outhouse 06-May-2022

The road to success is typically a long one, and is usually filled with many obstacles.  These obstacles, I believe, are designed to make us stronger.  If you are striving to a major life goal, your body and mind may be weary, but your spirit may be the only thing keeping you going.

Last summer I met someone who was working so hard toward a life goal, I can't help but admire and encourage her.

Today, my girlfriend Melissa (yes, she shares the same name as my late wife, which I can only fathom as being part of God's plan and impressive humor) graduates with her RN degree.  She has been an LPN for around 20 years, and even got her CNA when she was 16 years old.  She has been in the medical field for a very long time, in a variety of positions and specialties.  She started her drive toward her RN degree 5-6 years ago, taking classes here and there, before finally being accepted into the RN program.

Throughout all of these years, she has overcome a smattering of obstacles--none of which I will mention here but they would definitely rattle anyone's cage.  But not her!  I am utterly flabbergasted by her tenacious drive to succeed in becoming an RN.  Her next goal is to get her BSN degree, which is already in the works, starting this fall.

Her road to success is a long one, and I am so proud of all of her accomplishments.  I feel so blessed to be a part of her journey.

What are you doing to achieve your dreams?  What is your purpose in life, your burning desire?

13 Months / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-April-2022

By the end of next month, I should have my latest work-in-progress published.  And, as you may guessed it from the title of this post, it took me . . . drum roll please . . . thirteen months to complete.

As of this posting, I am over 109,000 words into it and I have six more chapters to write.

Now the big question: why is it taking me so long?  The book had already been written and I'm using the old pages as an outline.  So it really shouldn't take that long, right?

Right?

For me, that would be a solid no.  Although it is nice having the finished product to look upon, it actually drags me behind a bit.  And this is a longer book than what I normally write.  I have also found periods of time where my productivity has amped up immensely, whereas other times it has lagged.

This has been an interesting project for me to tackle.  What I will do is take what I learned on this one and apply it to the next one in a similar situation.  I have three other books that were written previously, and when I come to rewrite them, I may do things differently.

I will share details of this project as I come closer.

More Progress (And Pondering What's Next) / Happenings In The Outhouse 22-April-2022

I pray I don't jinx myself for saying this, but I will finish my current work-in-progress by the end of May 2022.  I started it on April 23, 2021, and boy am I ready for it to be completed.  Just to let you know, it wasn't that long ago, I was fearful that I wouldn't finish by the end of June, just before our planned vacation out west to Montana.

I have 6-7 chapters left (including an epilogue) and I have surpassed 105,000 words.  I have also surpassed 500-pages on Monday in the current document.

As I always near the end of a project, be it large or small or somewhere in the middle, I ponder what to write next.  I have many to choose from, and some stories are itching to get out into the world more than others.

Multitasking / Happenings In The Outhouse 15-April-2022

Multitasking.

Even just the word "multitasking" can bring a wide range of emotions.  But define what it is?  Is it doing many things in a single day?  Or doing several different things in a single lifetime?

John Grisham has done well with his legal thrillers, but he has also written other stories which has broadened his audience.  King has done the same with horror.

And I could go on and on.

Brandon Sanderson may be known for writing a lot of fantasy, but he has dipped his toes in many different realms in the fantasy genre, and with an insane output of words to boot.  He recently had an impressively successful Kickstarter where he wrote a bunch of secret stories while slated by contract to write another tome in his Stormlight Archive series.  And not just one, but four!

This might be an area we'll explore more later on.  The point of this is based from a TED talk I watched where the speaker gave examples of multitasking but this was over a person's lifetime.  I find it okay to do several different types of things, to spread out your talents.

Again, it depends on what your definition of multitasking is.