Tag Archives: writing

In the Zone

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I wrote another 2,000 words today–bringing me to 16,000 words on my new novel over the course of ten days.  I am on a roll.  If I can keep this up, this will be the fastest and best novel I have ever written.  Also, the style, length, and subject matter are all perfect to try to reel in an agent.  I may actually try to send this out to a few agents after I polish it up.  Yet again, I spent my day working on the novel and not uploadadble content.  Instead, I am going to link another “Influence.”

The Egg by Andy Weir
I read this story a couple years ago.  It changed my life.  It’s not something to believe.  It is something to ponder. It addressed the golden rule in entirely new light.  “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you.”  It is a little long, but worth the time.

Minimalism

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Today has been a strange day to say the least.  I am busily working on my novel.  I have constructed 13,000 words over the past eight days and only seem to be speeding up.  I hope to be done with the rough draft before the end of May.  Because of this, I am spending less time working on content that I will be able to upload.

Instead, I decided I would share some of my values and influences.  The video above is about anti-consumerism or minimalism.  I have been greatest influenced by videos and books with this message over the last several years.  If you have never read “The Gospel According to Larry,” please read it.  I have moved from more than 1,000 possessions to less than 550 over the past few months.  It is a freeing expereince.

“The more you own, the more it owns you.”

Also, I attended a poetry critique yesterday.  I hope to update over the week ahead with new poetry using some of the tactics I learned at this meeting.  I feel like it is one area of writing that I have not practiced all that much.  Hopefully I will build my craft over time.

Essay Update

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I am still working hard on my new novel–11,000 words and counting.  Now that I am back home, I am going to have to figure out exactly how to use my time so that I continue writing.  After attending church today, I felt compelled to write about my experience.  Over the last hour or two, I wrote the essay below.  I hope you enjoy it.

Community Demands
My mind is wired to see social structures.  I can look at a group of people and identified the power structure quite easily.  In this piece, I compare the communities of the two cities that I have lived in.  It is, at the same time, a very personal piece about belonging.

Burst of Imagination

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I finished writing yesterday with a total of 4,800 words done on my new novel.  So far today, I am at 8,300 words.  I haven’t had a burst of imagination like this in years.  With the plan of keeping the novel in the 70,000-80,000 word area, I am already more that 10% of the way done–and I started working on April 8th.

It’s nice.  The more I practice at writing, the easier it is for it to burst out of me.  One of my more annoying problems with older novels is that they took too long to write.  This is more than just a nuisance.  So much changes take place in one’s life over long periods of times.  Those changes can affect the tone of the writing without meaning to.  By writing quickly, the novel will contain the same voice and I will be able to control when the tone changes.

Even after this mini-vacation is done on Saturday, I will continue to write like there is no tomorrow.  I live in such a way that I can give myself a few hours each day to write.  I want to give this project my full attention.  If I am able to finish it in a short period of time (two months or so) and keep it in the necessary word length, this could simeltaneously be the best and most publishable piece of work yet.

The Reading Log and Blog section of the website have been updated.  I’ll try to update with something new tomorrow.  Until then…I’m going to aim for 10,000 words by the time  my coffee shop closes.

Poetry Update

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I spent a good deal of today writing updates for all of my blogs and reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”  I just finished writing a piece of poetry–which is linked below.  Tonight I will be working more on the new novel.  I hope to get to 10,000 words before Saturday–when I return home from this strange mini-vacation.  I will also be updating many of the “Blog” sections of this website with more recent pieces.  Enjoy the poetry in the meantime.  I have to run.  It’s Margarita night!

The Coffee House
I do most my writing at several different coffee houses around town.  Over the seven or so years that I have been going to coffee houses, I’ve seen a change.  It’s much harder to meet someone new when there are always electronics involved.

Novel Length

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I don’t have an update for you today.  I promise I’ll get some sort of update for you tomorrow.  Today, instead, I want your thoughts on novel length.  I’ve spent the last three days in solitude and have pumped 5,000 words into a new novel.  With the creative juices flowing, I don’t plan on limiting what comes out.  Still, I can’t help but think about the possibility of getting something published some day.  With that in mind, I know full well that novel length is important.

My first novel was far too long for a Young Adult Novel (or any novel by someone who isn’t already published).  Fire Saviors was 123,000 Words.  My second novel–The Saints–was a publishable length at 76,000 Words.  Too bad it was a sequel.  My third novel was far too short for literary/mystery fiction: Only 46,000 Words.  Although I don’t consider word length all that important compared to content, I know it plays a role.  In order to give my new novel  a solid chance at being picked up, I know it needs to fall within a certain length.

I’m pretty sure that length is about 70,000-100,000.  Ideal length is somewhere around 70,000-80,000.  I want to know what everyone else thinks on the matter.  Do you even think about things like this when you write?  I don’t actively think about selling my work as I write.  I know what I need to do to get published on most levels…I just can’t bring myself to write for anyone but me.  That’s why I have a blog that may–some day–make it harder for a publisher to take me on.

~Richard

Flash Fiction Update

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I’ve started working on what could possibly be a new novel.  It feels good to be immersed in a project once again.  I’ve already pushed 1,500 words into it.  There are a lot of things that I will be practicing with piece.  I’ll keep you updated on its progress.  In the meantime, a new flash fiction.

The Booklet
Writing about Alzheimer’s has entered the mainstream over the past decade.  It’s a difficult subject for more reasons than the obvious.  Since it’s nearly impossible for those suffering from the disease to document their experience, I cannot help but wonder.

Poetry Update

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Here are the poems I promised.  I am now in my hometown of Greeley, Colorado for a full week. There is a great coffee shop here called Zoe’s where I will probably spend most my week.  If all goes according to plan, I will update this site with new material every day this week.


For Jaccob
When I was 17, I discovered that my girlfriend was pregnant.  We aborted.  I’ve written a lot on this experience–simple trying to understand what had happened and what I was feeling.  This is the first poem on wrote on the experience.

Forsaken Quest
In the months that followed my high school graduation, I realized it would be much harder to make new friends.  Simultaneously, I was frightened that I could not keep a friend for very long.  The combination was frightening.

Hour Upon the Stage
I wrote this after my final high school play.  The scene that this poem describes is still one of the most vivid in my memory.  I did my best to capture the moment in detail. I always used poetry for romance.  It wasn’t until college that I found other uses for poetry–making my writing much better.  I like romantic poetry–but there’s only so much you can do with it.

Flash Fiction Update

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Happy Easter Weekend everybody. I’m about to head off to my friend’s 22nd birthday, so I will keep this quick.  I will probably be updating a lot in the week ahead.  I am staying in my hometown for a week to take care of the dogs while my parents are in Connecticut.  A lot of alone time means a lot of updating.  Also, I went through all my old poems and pulled out four that I will put up here soon (probably tomorrow or Monday).  Until then, enjoy the new flash fiction.

Dear Blue
While on vacation, I joined my friends at a coffee shop for several hours.  This piece of flash fiction came out of left field after my fourth cup of coffee.  It is one of my more unique pieces.  I don’t usually deal in personification, but I love this flash fiction nonetheless.

New Flash Fiction: Thirst

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Thirst
In order to practice writing characters that do not remind me of me, I need practice writing situations that I do not normally encounter.  I Miss You, Dad was a way to practice the complex emotions of dealing with death.  Thirst is my attempt to enter the mind of an addict.  I hope to write several more flash fiction pieces like this soon.  I need the practice.