Author Archives: Richard Reilly

Getting Down to Editing

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I just finished editing the first two chapters of the book (out of 47).  I’ve decided to edit on the computer.  I could say it’s because I want to be environmentally conscious…but that would be a lie.  I prefer editing on the computer because I can make all the changes I need to instantly without the chance of forgetting.  I go straight through the writing and change what is needed.  At the same time, I have another Word document open tracking all of the plot holes and whatnot that I need to keep an eye on.

I’ve heard plenty of times that you are supposed to ready through the entirety of the novel one time without changing a thing.  I have to cry bullshit on that one.  I cannot read through, see all the small mistakes, and not do something about them.  I’m really enjoying editing right now.  Of my four novels, this one seems to have the fewest mistakes.  Considering how quickly I wrote it, I expected the exact opposite.  My goal for this editing job is to edit about ten pages a day.  With about 110 pages in Word, I should get a new draft done every eleven days or so.

With Love,
Richard

66,073 Words in 42 Days

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At 4:45pm today, I have completed my fourth novel.  It took me 42 days to write and is a total of 66,073 words.  That means I wrote an average of 1,573 words every day over the past six weeks.  Although the novel is slightly shortly than I would like it, I will probably take care of that in the editing.  I will wait until tomorrow to figure out how to edit this monster.

Tonight I will rest and celebrate.

8 April 2012: 600 Words
9 April 2012: 2,700 Words
10 April 2012: 4,300 Words
11 April 2012: 4,800 Words
12 April 2012: 8,700 Words
13 April 2012: 9,900 Words
14 April 2012: 10,700 Words
15 April 2012: 11,600 Words
16 April 2012: 13,800 Words
17 April 2012: 15,900 Words
18 April 2012: 17,500 Words
19 April 2012: 20,000 Words
20 April 2012: 21,100 Words
21 April 2012: 22,100 Words
22 April 2012: 25,300 Words
23 April 2012: 27,100 Words
24 April 2012: 28,500 Words
25 April 2012: 30,200 Words
26 April 2012: 31,500 Words
27 April 2012: 33,300 Words
28 April 2012: 34,700 Words
29 April 2012: 36,300 Words
30 April 2012: Halftime Break
1 May 2012: 38,300 Words
2 May 2012: 39,900 Words
3 May 2012: 40,700 Words
4 May 2012: 42,500 Words
5 May 2012: 43,400 Words
6 May 2012: 44,300 Words
7 May 2012: 46,600 Words
8 May 2012: 48,000 Words
9 May 2012: 48,900 Words
10 May 2012: 51,000 Words
11 May 2012: 52,300 Words
12 May 2012: Fourth Quarter Break
13 May 2012: 53,700 Words
14 May 2012: 55,100 Words
15 May 2012: 56,400 Words
16 May 2012: 59,800 Words
17 May 2012: Two-Minute Warning
18 May 2012: 64,700 Words
19 May 2012: 66,073 Words

The Everyday Project

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With only a few chapters left, I am starting to wrap up the storylines of several characters. I’m enjoying it a lot.  I’ve grown to know my characters a lot over the past month an a half.  Their lives after the events of the book almost feel like they are writing themselves.  I know how they act and what they are capable of.  As the book comes to a natural conclusion, I am finding out a lot that I didn’t know about my characters.  I love it.

Today I am uploading a personal project that has nothing to do with writing.  Five and a half years ago, I started taking a picture of myself everyday.  Today, that means that there are more than 2,000 pictures.  When played in quick succession (10 images a second), you can see me age.  The Everyday Project is something I believe everyone should do.  I hope you enjoy.

Reader Contest #1

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As I continue to write, I want a way to say thank you to all of my faithful readers who continue to comment and provide encouragement.  My good friend–Jordan–suggested this contest yesterday.  It is honestly the perfect way to get to know my readers better while rewarding them.

Here’s how it works.  In the next 24 hours, comment on any one of my short stories, flash fiction pieces, or poems.  24 hours from now (4pm Mountain Standard Time on Thursday), I will write down the names of everybody who commented, put them in a hat, and pull one out at random.  The winner will receive a book from my own personal library.  When I read, I mark my books up with comments in the margins–so the winner will get to know me a bit better to.  I will provide the shipping.

For the first contest, I will be giving away “Feed” by M.T.Anderson.  This book is one of my absolute favorites.  Good luck to all my readers!

A Day to Write

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Yesterday was great.  There were eleven of us at the poetry critique this month.  I got a lot of great feedback. Every time I go to one of these things, I figure out what I need to work on.  Coming away from this one, I found two things that I need to work on: Metaphor and Line Breaks.  I was actually quite surprised at the power of line breaks within poetry.  When I reworked my poem today, that was my main focus.  As I write more in the future, I need to work on creating metaphors.  I’m so used to writing stories straight out that I’ve never developed that aspect of my writing.

Wednesdays are a good day to write for me.  I get my normal writing in during the day.  I’ve already reworked a poem and I’m preparing to write more on my novel.  The thing is, my roommates hold a gaming night on Wednesday Nights.  It’s usually reason enough not to be around the house for a couple hours.  That means I’ll have another writing session later today.  My goal for today is to reach 60,000 words.  I am racing towards the end.  I can’t wait to have this rough draft done.  Then I have to make a decision on whether to edit on the computer or on paper.

Fell free to read The Wailing Wall again.  I think the changes made it significantly better.

The Wailing Wall
I wrote this poem following a bad breakup.  I tend to allow my mind to wander…and that usually leads to worst-case scenario thoughts.  The combination led to this poem.  It sat in a folder for more than a month.  I rewrote it twice and finally like it.

With Love,
Richard

Poetry Critique

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Along with my friend–Jordan–I attend a monthly poetry critique.  I’m a bit nervous.  This is our second month and the first time that I will be sharing a piece.  I decided to use “The Wailing Wall” for my piece–partly because it’s short and partly because the others are extremely personal.  I hope to gain a better grasp on how to develop my poetry through these work sessions.  I’ve already done pretty good by writing more often.  Getting the input of other poets will be priceless.

I wrote 1,300 words today.  I ended up combining two chapters into one.  Now I’m getting a little worried that by word count will fall short of 70,000.  Although this isn’t entirely a bad thing, I would really prefer it to be in the golden range of 70,000-80,000.  I do have a short list of extra scenes I could include if I need the content.  I might have to end up using it.  None of them are fluff–I just wasn’t sure how to include them initially.  The editing of this book will be complicated anyway.  I might as well make it even more complicated…right?

With Love,
Richard

Closing Action

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I have about 15,000 words left to write.  Considering I am hitting the final climax over the next two chapters, my closing actions will be about 10,000 words.  I’ve never really thought about this before.  How much closing action is too much?  How much is too little?  In my first two novels, I didn’t think about this much because they were part of a trilogy.  With my third novel, everything was quick so I did the same with the end.

I hate making things back and white.  I know that the outline I have is perfect to conclude this story.  But, as I look at the numbers, I wish the concluding action wasn’t 1/8th of the novel.  I won’t honestly worry about it until I get there.  Too often do I think about the numbers then I realize that certain chapters will be twice as long as others.  I’m just thinking about too much, I guess.  I just need to write, write, write, and wrap this thing up.

Much Love,
Richard

Finishing in Style

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Most writers have a certain scene stuck in their head when they write.  I know I do.  I feel compelled to write because I can see certain parts of my story so clearly.  I know exactly what needs to happen before I can write the scene that I’ve thought about for weeks.  Sometimes it is the beginning of the story.  Sometimes it’s a random part.  Sometimes it is the climax.

I had four of those scenes stuck in my head when I started this project.  Now that I am in my final two weeks of writing, I have written out three of those four scenes.  Nothing is more satisfying that being able to write out a scene in such a way that gives it justice.  It’s a surprisingly hard thing to accomplish.  Sometimes these scenes have been in my mind for years.  When you finally write it out, you don’t want to get a detail wrong.

Damn.  Writing with passion complicates everything.  Hmmm…sounds about right.

With Love,
Richard

50,000 Words in 33 Days

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I have hit 50,000 words in what will be my fourth novel.  Of late, I have done some research and determined that it will fall under the “Commercial Fiction” section (although that section is rather broad).  With 20,000-30,000 words left to work with, I can feel the end of the story building up.  All the characters are in the right spots.  The storyline has progressed beautifully.  I don’t think I’ve even been so happy with my own story before.

Considering I did not have an extensive outline as I wrote this book, I know the edit job will be a bit of a a hassle.  I am already making note of a few of the problems that I have created.  Some of them will be annoying.  Others will be easy.  I’m just glad that it doesn’t bother me all that much yet.  When I was younger, I used to not be able to move on until I took care of every problem in the story.  It’s the main reason why I never finished anything when I was younger.  It’s fascinating how much progress you make in your own writing style with each and every piece you produce.

Much Love,
Richard

Dilemma: Writing & Working

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A couple weeks ago, I watched “Girl, Interrupted.”  In the movie, they ask the protagonist what she wants to do with her life.  Her response: Write.  The reaction is one that many writers know well.  There are blank stares and then the inevitable question.  “What’s your backup plan?”  Few non-writers understand the mindset of a writer.  We writers may do something else to make money.  That is not who we are.  We are writers first.

I have built a life that allows me to focus on my writing.  It is something I hope to maintain for years to come.  With my Bachelor’s Degree, I am able to substitute teach whenever I want for decent money.  With cheap rent and a cheaper lifestyle, I honestly don’t work very often.  I do, however, write at least three hours a day.  It’s difficult to build a lifestyle that allows you to be a writer first.  If you are able to accomplish it, it is well worth it.  I encourage all writers out their to honestly sit down and think about their priories.  If you can put writing first, you should.

I’m about to hit another major milestone in my novel.  More tomorrow.

Much Love,
Richard