David Vienna's Blog, page 123
March 9, 2020
Getting my boys to routinely wash hands has been a years-long struggle. So, if I die from...
Getting my boys to routinely wash hands has been a years-long struggle. So, if I die from coronavirus, 100% it’ll be their fault.
March 8, 2020
Post D&D victory celebration.
Post D&D victory celebration.
My kids are getting into D&D and we found a local shop that holds a weekly game for kids every...
My kids are getting into D&D and we found a local shop that holds a weekly game for kids every Sunday that takes 4 hours.
You may call the person leading the game a Dungeon Master, but I call that a free sitter.
jcamcript:Me talking to my boomer relatives about politics.
Me talking to my boomer relatives about politics.
I never hit word counts. It’s just some pieces feel unfinished like I can never just keep it hanging off when it’s not finished.
Okay, then you need to step away from it. And I mean for weeks or months. Move on. Write other shit. If it’s a solid story, your brain will keep coming back to it. You’ll stew on it and, eventually, you’ll land on what’s missing.
Or not. And you’ll still have learned something.
An incomplete story is a better teacher than a good idea.
March 7, 2020
how do you deal with a piece of writing that is clearly unfinished and needs to have more words added to it? I write prose and prose only by the way. P.S what is CTFD?
How is it unfinished? Are you trying to hit a target word count? Because the general rule is “write something as long as it needs to be.” So, if you’re done, then you’re done. But, if you feel like there’s something missing, then you should do these things in this order:
Step away for a while (like weeks or even months) and stew on it to see if you can determine what’s missing. If that doesn’t work—Read it a bunch more times and stew on it to see if you can determine what’s missing. If that doesn’t work—Give it to some trusted friends to see what they say might be missing. If that doesn’t work—Let strangers read it to see if they can determine what’s missing.Other than that, I hate to admit it (because I hate doing it), but outlining your piece might help you find the holes.
Oh, and if it is that you’re trying to hit a target word count, just add the word “very” a bunch of times before an adjective. It’s very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very helpful.
And as for the CTFD Method, it started as a post here, then went: Crazy. Bananas. Wackadoo. Loco. Insane.
March 6, 2020
Want to lose weight and get some alone time?Try Stress™️.You’ll be too wound up to consume anything...
Want to lose weight and get some alone time?
Try Stress™️.
You’ll be too wound up to consume anything but alcohol and you won’t want to be around anyone because you’ll realize humanity in general sucks.
Stress™️! Try it today!
[From the makers of Self-Loathing™️]
My kid was eating his breakfast in silence, then looked up at me and said, “Fine. Not guilty. You...
My kid was eating his breakfast in silence, then looked up at me and said, “Fine. Not guilty. You happy? Let’s do lunch.”
I didn’t intend to write so much about writing here, but hey, the tumblr wants what the tumblr...
I didn’t intend to write so much about writing here, but hey, the tumblr wants what the tumblr wants.
So, if you’re a recent follower, you may not know that I got my first book deal because of a post that started right here on The Daddy Complex. Yes, I am one of those magical unicorns you heard about. Here’s the basic sales pitch:
Hey, sexy people. Feel like you’re a shitty parent? Calm The F*ck Down, the official manual of the CTFD parenting method, will make you feel WAAAAY less shitty. It also makes a great drink coaster.
Of course, that was back in tumblr’s glory days. Back when “none pizza with left beef” and semi-classy porn randomly showed up on your dash three times a day.
Anyway, all that is to say: If any of you have questions about writing, publishing, or even parenting (which is supposed to be the focus of this account), I’m happy to answer as best as I can. And anons are currently allowed. So, ask away, people.
I might not always have the right response, but I’ll definitely have a response.
