It’s come in at 118000 words, or there about. It’s currently with 3 people for reading/finding cockups/grammar errors.
It also has two endings, I don’t know which one I want.
Tuesday, Feb 26 2013
Language and Life and Writing Experience, Writing 6:37 pm
Ok, maybe not finished finished -I need to round off the odd chapter – I’ve put in ??? to say ‘Something more, possibly’.
But after 15 months (I had a long break in the middle, – not stressed enough) and 118,000 words I have a novel that can be read as such.
Now just need to tighten up the start, make sure the continuity works, and correct a few pages. THEN start the editing of the first draft.
BUT
I actually have a novel.
Bugger. That’s a bit scary. Never written anything this long before
Getting Old Friday, Jan 11 2013
Life Experience, youth 1:19 am
Picked up my first pair of glasses today (proper prescription glasses, not shades).
I’ve always had good eyesight, often surprising the opticians with what I can read – I can read the 4.5 meter line on a chart. My last test was 3 years ago, and I was due back a year ago, on a two year recall. I never quite got round to booking the appointment.
However over the last couple of months I’ve noticed it was taking a second or two to snap into focus when reading smaller fonts, so I finally made an appointment. As suspected I need reading glasses.
Its odd, because I’m not used to having anything on my face, its going to take time to ignore the weight on my nose, and the fact the pages and VDU are now framed. Also I ONLY need reading glasses – I still have ‘fighter pilot vision’ as the opthalmist called it; better than 6/6 (20/20). This means when I’m wearing the glasses anything more than arms length away goes blurry as my distance vision kicks in and wonders what idiot put these lenses in the way!
So now if someone talks to me while I work I look up at a slightly fuzzy person. Sitting on my laptop I perched them on the end of my nose, so I look at the screen through them, but can watch TV over the top!
Don’t Tell Your Mother Tuesday, May 15 2012
Uncategorized Experience, Fatherhood, Poem, Writing 9:45 pm
A poem dedicated to fathers and sons.
When things went not quite wrong
But then again not quite right,
Dad would lower his voice,
Just like a conspirator might,
And we’d grin and smirk
One to the other,
He’d wink and say
“Don’t tell your mother.”
Thoughts upon life after death. Wednesday, Apr 18 2012
Uncategorized Experience, Family 1:14 am
Funerals are not for the dead, they are ceremonies for the living.
It was my honour on Tuesday to support three people who are very special to me through their time of grief.
Paul had little choice but to entrust me with looking after these people, who were also very special to him. It was clear from the eulogy he has set the bar high. I will do my best to live up to what he would have wanted.
Man Rules Thursday, Apr 5 2012
Uncategorized Experience, Humour, Rant 12:13 am
A collegue emailed me this. I said to her “Did this really need to be written down? Really, like it isn’t obvious?”
”At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down
The rules
These are our rules!
Please note… these are all numbered “1 “ON PURPOSE!
1 Men are NOT mind readers.
1 Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl.
If it’s up, put it down.
We need it up; you need it down.
You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sports on TV:
It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.
1 Crying is blackmail
1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
1. Yes or No is a perfectly acceptable answer to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are.
Don’t ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say “during commercials”…
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colours, like a Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour.
Pumpkin is also a fruit.
We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that…
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” We will act like nothing’s wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine…Really.
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as football or motor sports.
1 If when you ask us what we are thinking we say nothing, it means we are thinking of nothing. This is perfectly possible.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;
But did you know men really don’t mind that?
It’s like camping.
Hello Readers, everywhere. Friday, Jan 13 2012
Uncategorized Experience, Internet, Random stuff, Writing 10:57 pm
I keep track of hits by using the WordPress stats page. It also alerts me when I have new followers etc. I can’t help but think most of you are disappointed most of the time.
This blog is so eclectic that what ever you subscribed to is probably only a fraction of my output, and the rest of it is of very little interest!
My characters surprise me again. Friday, Jan 13 2012
Uncategorized D'oh, Experience, Weird, Writing 12:48 am
There is a phrase I’ve come across in the online writing community ‘Pantsing’. This means ‘Writing by the Seat of your pants’ – ie making it up as you go along, with minimal plotting ahead. It seems that most writers sharing their experiences online are a mixture of Pantsers and Plotters (ie have it all laid out before start), myself included. The previous post on this blog revealed the surprise this can lead too.
And now it’s happened again. I am happily writing a scene, I know exactly what the next bit is (not the precise words- imagine having to write a presentation: you know the topic, you just need to find how to vocalise it).
THEN the lead character reveals with NO WARNING WHAT SO EVER that he almost had one of his closest friends committed to hospital under the Mental Health Act.
I literally had no idea! I finished one paragraph, went to write the next and he said something completely different. I had just enough time to stop myself writing and add a set up for the next 250 words correctly.
Mind you, this whole chapter has been hiding surprises from me. I knew it existed- its a party, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about. I just knew it needed to exist as a bridge between two major plot points. A little later I realised I needed to introduce a new character to tie up the loose ends in what I suppose is the ‘C’ arc of the book, and I look at this as yet unwritten chapter, and find this guy fully formed with a appropriate back story, as if just waiting for me to find him.
Ok. I may be getting a little wierd as I get older…
The trials of writing Monday, Jan 2 2012
Uncategorized Experience, Writing 11:50 am
I’ve started writing again. The current story is the longest I’ve ever written – it’s approaching the point where it may become a full size book, it’s far longer than the than short stories I’ve written before. It thrown up a few interesting problems I’ve not encountered before.
I don’t write from the beginning all the way through. I know what ‘set pieces’ through out I want to write, as I know the general progress of the story. If I have a good idea I will often start that bit before I forget it, especially if I’m stuck with the earlier story – often one part will inspire another part, and allows me to use tricks such as foreshadowing.
However, because it is so much longer the characters are obviously having to be more rounded. It turns out that they seem to have a life of their own, no matter what I think.
My female lead has talked the male lead into asking her out to dinner. I was as surprised as he was.
THAT WASN’T THE NEXT BIT. Now I have to write a whole restaurant scene because she thought he was going a bit too fast.
Thanks dear. I sometimes wonder whose narrative it is!
The problem appeared to be the way I was writing her speech – it’s the classic joke about how a man can say three words on the phone, because he saw his mate last week, but a woman will speak for an hour because she isn’t seeing her friend until this evening. I felt she was speaking too much like a man.
Once I gave her a less clipped way of speaking; fuller sentences etc, what she said changed, and it became obvious the way she thought was different.
Later the male lead was got drunk by his best mate. I thought it was so he could work through the issues around the woman he loves. Turns out he told me something completely different- why he feels guilty about their other best mate’s death. I didn’t know!
Also I didn’t know how he had died – the official story (which I knew) isn’t the same as what actually happened.
I’m beginning to wonder if I’m sane…
How Men learn Tuesday, Nov 15 2011
Uncategorized Experience, Humour, Writing 10:31 pm
When Men are inexperienced with the female mind, Woman will ask “Should I wear this dress or that dress”, and the young Man will answer “That one.” Because she looks beautiful no matter what She wears. This is wrong, because Woman will then say “What’s wrong with this one. Don’t you like me in this one, are you saying it makes me look fat?”
As he ages He will learn the ways of a woman’s mind, and will confidently say “Which do you like?” This is wrong, because Woman will say “Why can’t you ever make a decision. Why don’t you take an interest in what I look like?”
Then as he grows older, Man becomes wily, and He answers “What shoes/jacket/bag are you going to be wearing/taking.” And this is the right answer, because She thinks He is showing interest.
After some years Woman begins to suspect. And then the Man becomes wise, and when She asks “Should I wear this dress or that dress” Man knows to say “You’ve worn both of those so many times. I will buy you a new dress. And shoes. And jacket.” And he may be poorer, but at least he gets a few months peace and quiet this way.
At the 11th Hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month Friday, Nov 11 2011
Uncategorized Experience, History, Respect 10:43 pm
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
When you go home tell them of us and say -
For your tomorrow we gave our today.
My Life – a Venn diagram Wednesday, Oct 5 2011
Uncategorized Experience, Humour 10:10 pm
This bloody hurts (and it is icky) Saturday, Oct 1 2011
Uncategorized Experience, Health, Ouch, Yuck 1:32 am
At some point on Wednesday or Thursday I managed to get something in my eye. It irritated through Thursday, and resisted all efforts to wash it out. It then kept me awake all Thursday night (literally – I finally passed out at 6:30 am)
I phoned my GP and they said go to A&E at the hospital , being better equiped. The nurse there attempted to swab it off with a cotton bud, but it is properly stuck to my eyeball. So he then put anasthetic in my eye (it stung), and tried to get it with a surgical needle (yes pointy metal in my eye!) This didn’t work. Because it was just off the cornea (it’s where the iris meets the white) he couldn’t be too adventurous, as it was near lots of blood vessels. It had already bled a tiny bit, but to remove it could cause a lot of bleeding (yes, from the eyeball), and the emergency dept isn’t set up for that.
So I have a prescription for some gel which will soften the ‘skin’, and an appointment for 11am tomorrow (Saturday) at the eye clinic. I hope that it works!
My Dad – the worlds best Alternative Medicine therapist? Wednesday, Aug 24 2011
Uncategorized Experience, Humour 1:00 am
When I was young, in the 70′s, I used to get pains in my legs. My dad would cure this with his special ointment.
He successfully treated growing pains with Old Spice aftershave…
War of Spanish Succession – Open Thread. Monday, Aug 15 2011
Uncategorized Black Powder, Experience, Leisure, pendraken, War of Spanish Succession, Wargames, wargaming 12:03 am
A poster going by the name of ‘Little Keithy’ expressed surprise at hitting the thread on the riots, when he came here looking for stuff about the War of Spanish Succession. He was obviously not expecting the somewhat eclectic nature of my blog (read ‘any old rubbish that comes to mind’, refered to by my wife as spending half the night on the internet ranting at people). Unlike many wargamers this isn’t a wargame only thing. (It originally started as I wanted to share some fiction I had written with bloggers from other sites I frequent, for their opinion).
He wrote
Anyway what I was going to ask: what’s the allure of the WSS? I like the SYW as there is a variety of troop types plus nice uniforms to paint (not that I ever get round to painting them).
The WSS appears to the uninitiated limited in troop types (in western europe), tactics and pretty uniforms (nice whigs though). Is it more a test of skill having limited opportunities for a coup de grace or clever manoeuvre?
Well, to tell the truth, I chose the period based on hats… (more after the break)
