Had to pull out my favorite fountain pen and Leuchttrum journal to take advantage of the drive to the in-laws yesterday. Knew I wouldn’t have time today to work on the novel and I want to stay on track.
Sometimes just a change of writing medium is all I need to get unstuck or figure out a difficult chapter. Such as writing a scene from the perspective of a moose 800 years ago. I hope it works.
A dear friend of mine reminded me of a one-act play I wrote in college. Like “White Hell,” it was also set at Thanksgiving.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my habit of setting stories during the holiday season. Here’s my rationale:
Love the smell of fresh book glue.
Got a fresh batch of books in and it smells sooo good! The covers feel soft and warm and ready for happy readers.
Who still needs a copy?
Setting small word count goals each day keeps me focused and writing everyday. I tried the NaNoWriMo method multiple times and I’m just not a binge writer. I can handle 500-700 words each morning rather than fretting over 1677 everyday.
One writing podcast recommended Written Kitten as a means to achieving word count. I gave it shot. I’ll try most things once.
For every 100 words I type into their word processor, I get a new picture of a kitten or cat or leopard. I can count off my daily word count goal but number of kittens. Additionally, the small window of words allow me to focus only on that scene. I can’t decide to go back ten pages and fiddle with the language from yesterday’s writing.
I worked for multiple publications while in college and also did some freelance proofreading in my time, so I love to edit and fiddle with sentences. After multiple attempts to write a novel, my love of editing is one of my greatest weaknesses when knocking out a first draft.
Ever onward. I’ve already altered the outline of this current piece, but I keep writing without deleting or moving the previous chapters. I’ll save that for the second draft.
Each morning I try to knock out about a 1000 words. Some days I fly through it, some days it is a total slog and only get 500 crap words and I’ve committed multiple literary atrocities. I struggle with the keyboard. We argue and I want to cry.
Can you tell this was one of those days? I hate you keyboard and fingers that type the letters out of order. Bwahhhh!
Stephen King listens to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest while writing. I wish that I was that rocking, but lyrics get in my head.
I’ve tried typing in silence, but then I hear everyone that lives on the same floor. I start wondering about their lives and backstories and it becomes a whole other thing.
I tried the Mozart Effect, but then I think about the movie Amadeus and my friend Jeff that was maybe a little obsessive about it.
Chopin for the win! Piano and cello is good loving! The only weird association I have with Chopin is Adrian Brody’s enormous hands from The Pianist.
What do you listen to work?
Legos. I want Legos. All the Legos.
Between writing sessions and shifts at “the real job” and the impending holidays, I’m a little stressball. Sleep-deprived, anxious, ear infection little stressball.
I’ve been eyeing this set of Legos at a local retailer for a few weeks and finally splurged. It’s better than any adult coloring book or oddly scented candles.
But with the holidays, come rampant consumerism and I’m not immune. I want more sets!
Dinosaurs and wizards and Jedi. Oh my.
I write best in the morning, coffee mug in hand, before the day can overwhelm me with its needs and purposes.
I get up, pull on a hoodie, pour a cup of coffee, settle onto the sofa with Mr. Tini over my shoulder judging my words.
My current goal is 720 words a day for an 80,000 word first draft by March first. In the last two years, I’ve become very goal-oriented and deadline driven. Set a deadline and work backwards. Mr. Tini seems happy with the progress even if the new project has a Great Dane and not a wily cat.
In another life, I ran a restaurant and Yelp/Google/Facebook reviews mattered to the powers above me. Giving power to the Karens and Heathers of the world. I know that Amazon reviews can also make or break indie authors, so I’ve been nervous about my first reviews. But my friend behind Equal Opportunity Reader was gentle.
I know my reviews won’t always be something to hang on the fridge like a gold star in spelling. But my writing isn’t for everyone. I explore dark places with a high-powered flashlight.
The embeded image won’t display the words and I’m not a web designer. It is quoted below.
“#justfinished — White Hell, by Parker O’Dwyer
[Turkey in picture may be less real than it appears.]
I’m hesitant to give this a traditional star rating because it’s so far out of my wheelhouse. I can count the number of thrillers I’ve read before on one finger, so once I realized what White Hell was, I had no idea what to expect or what to compare it to.
“But did I like it? Yes, I did.
“Some terrible secrets are festering in the Flynn family and just before Thanksgiving, they all burst and spill over into the little farm town of Grinnell and the neighboring city of Des Moines. The result is a trip through some very dark spaces in society with occasional glimmers of light popping up here and there to help the characters when they need it most. O’Dwyer writes very compelling sidekicks for our terrified protagonists, and the story is engaging–I wanted to know how this would end immediately after finishing the second chapter.
“Since I’m so unfamiliar with how crime fiction works, I can’t really critique the novel competently. But I can recommend it, if you don’t mind a little blood and guts with your Thanksgiving turkey. It’s a solid first effort with a well-paced story and entertaining characters. I enjoyed it despite my unfamiliarity with the genre. Well done, @parkerodwyer ! 😁
(Full disclosure: the author and I are friends IRL.)”
#bookreview #bookstagram #newwriters #selfpublishedwriters #firstnovel#womenwriters
#thriller #crimefiction #books #reading #readingisfundamental#parkerodwyer #WhiteHell #literature #Iowafiction
“In my experience there is no such thing as luck.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi
We’ve been thoroughly enjoying Disney Plus. Re-watching Toy Story and The Lion King have been highlights.
As a student of story, I’ve been very interested in learning the mythology and lore of the Star Wars universe. Did some research about the proper order to watch the episodes and settled on the Machete order.
I’ve made it through Episodes IV and V, but the struggle begins with Episode II. The characters and interactions annoy me to no end. We turned it off 35 minutes in because neither of us was paying attention. BOO! Please tell me it gets better…
I have watched two episodes of The Mandalorian and it is fantastic. Not just because of baby Yoda. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
#starwars #episodeiisucks #mandalorian #anakinwhinesalot #babyyoda
Parker O'Dwyer 