K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 87

Word Count Weekly #17 & #18

My word counts are pretty decent considering I got married and all… Yep, I’m on a bridal/ post-wedding high right now, and I don’t care who knows it. I took a blog hiatus last week, so this ‘Word Count Weekly’ is a double whammy.

Sunday 6th final tally: 3568 Words

Sunday 13th final tally: 2116 Words

 I thought I’d be run ragged, and have little time for my W.I.P, but it actually proved a welcome distraction when the wedding planning stress was at a high. I could disappear into Teddie Leason’s life and re-emerge in my own in a much calmer,amiable state. Writing is amazing, is it not?

That being said, I was steamrolling on with the narrative, but felt a little lost. I was struggling with too many info dumps because I was trying to explain the narrative to myself. I went through this same phase whilst writing EVO Nation, and I know there will be light at the end of the tunnel. I do not edit on a first draft, it would be my downfall, so I shall power on and sort the info dumps during editing once my draft is complete.

Last week’s excerpt: 

The wardrobe door is ajar, bursting with clothes and shoes. I pick up my fox slippers and drop them just as quickly. None of this seems real. None of this seems connected to me. I thought those slippers were the coolest thing since sliced bread, now they’re insignificant. Who gives a shit about fox slippers when the world is falling apart?

I shut the door and jump at the sight of Adam standing behind it. “It feels like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life,” I admit, sliding my arms around his waist.

This week’s excerpt:

“I love you,” I say straight into his mind. It doesn’t even feel like telepathy, more like we are one mind. We both soar from the bed, our entwined bodies suspended in an orb of electrokinetic and telekinetic energy. Only, the telekinesis is not my own, I’m not in control. I am linked, but separate at the same time. The bed and the rest of the furniture follow us, hovering below, and shaking violently.

 

All excerpts are the works of K.J.Chapman

 

Winter Wedding

It’s official! I’m a married woman… eek. I still can’t get my head around that! On Friday at 5pm, we had an evening ceremony at our local registry office with just our parents, grandparents, our ring bearer, and our daughter as a bridesmaid. We decided against a formal reception, and opted for an evening reception with all our friends and family. We kept it simple with a buffet, DJ, and of course, karaoke.

We were lucky to have friends and family flock around us to help prepare everything from the venue decorations to the food. It was a team effort, and I am eternally grateful to all the special people in my life. They made our day what it was. And I am forever grateful to my family members who arrived at the venue with the food and rescued the decorations.  They performed miracles in just one hour after realising all the helium balloons had deflated.

Now for the important part… the pictures. We have to wait a week or so for our professional photos, but here are some taken by guests:

Okay, okay… seeing as you twisted my arm, I will give you a peek at some hen run shenanigans. Judge away… judge away.

Now, it’s time for me to get on with married life… and back to writing EVO Shift!

 

The photos featured in this post are the property of K.J.Chapman.

The Info Dump

I always have the same issue toward the end of my first drafts- Info dumps. When my loose ends need tying up, or sub plots start to link with the main narrative, I dump information like a steaming, stinking cow pat.

The big problem comes with trying to sort through the cow shit to find the diamond. What is necessary? What has been touched upon already that can be cut? What can be left for another chapter, another book? All these questions run through my head, but I can’t sort and cut during the drafting process. I have to keep the blinkers on, and power through. I’m not a planner, so the end of my first drafts are usually a whirlwind in my mind, and I must keep momentum.

I dump and run…

I lift the metaphorical writing rug, and brush the shit under it, until I can’t leave it any longer, and then I come at it with a broom, hoover, flame thrower… whatever is needed during editing. That’s what editing is for, is it not?

As a reader, I don’t mind a small block of information being dumped on me, but I don’t like to be dumped on from a great height. As a writer, I try to drip feed information throughout the narrative and dialogue, but I will hold my hands up and admit that I too can leave a little dump or two dotted about.

I’ve heard mixed responses from other writers. Some think that info dumps are okay if they’re paced throughout dialogue, others feel that they should be sorted before editing as it can be a headache to sort info dumps after the draft is complete, and a few even think that the mere mention of an info dump earns you the title of ‘lazy’ writer or ‘poor’ writer.

Chill out, I always sort it. I’ll give myself a little credit and say that I can work through a good dump! …

What are you thoughts on info dumps? How much is too much? What is your technique for combating/ sorting an info dump?

 

Prompt Me #5

Thank you to Faith Rivens over at Aliasfaithrivens for another inspiring writing prompt. (If you’ve not done so already, please check out her blog.) This time it’s a dialogue prompt, so without further ado:

“There’s a cloud above your head.”

“I know. It’s been ten days now. I don’t know how to get it to stop.”

“Who’d you annoy this time, Tarne?” Sedar asks, his bemused look adding to his wrinkles and making his face look like a land map of Altarva.

“The ex wife, the stupid, old battleaxe.” The cloud explodes in a torrent of rain. “She said I was being belligerent and cursed me with this blasted thing. It seems every time I say a bad word against her, it pisses down on me. I’ve tried every cast I can think of. She’ll rue the day she cursed me, the old witch.”

The rain cloud cracks with thunder and another downpour soaks his already sodden jacket. Sedar wasn’t a stranger to Tarne’s behaviour. Gren, Tarnes ex-wife, was a reasonable, mild tempered witch, but Tarne could be a chore at times; Jealous and possessive even though the pair have been separated for going on twelve months. She must have had her reasons.

Sedar chuckles to himself. “Have you tried a dual cast? An anti-hex is simple enough, but the curse seems to be linked to your psyche. An anti- hex teamed with a mind purge cast perhaps?”

“And forget the last twenty four hours? I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction,” Tarne growls.

“Suit yourself, but I hope you are not prone to a cold,” Sedar says, leading him inside. “No slurs on Gren whilst you’re in my house if you don’t mind. I’m carpeted throughout.”

Inside, the smell of boiled herbs permeates every room. Even Tarne relaxes at the lulling aroma of lavender and camomile soup. Sedar trained as an apothecary during his youth, but once the High War begun in his early twenties, he became a key part of the resistance. His casting ability has not been matched much to Tarne’s annoyance.

“I know you are not here about this palava,” Sedar says, waving a withered hand at the cloud. “So, what is it you do want, Tarne?”

Tarne positions the Ram’s skull back in its place on Sedar’s mantel. “To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure that you can help, but I reckon you’ve seen your fair share of the dark occult in you time, old man. Have you any idea what this is?” He pulls a black, velvet pouch from his pocket.

Black velvet is never used by the light occult. It is said to be a bad omen and its presence puts Sedar instantly on edge. Tarne would know this, surely? The thought of black velvet in his house isn’t an easy one, but Sedar remains silent, holding his breath as Tarne tips out the contents.

Sedar stumbles backward, throwing his frail arms in the air. “Get that out of my house,” he hisses at Tarne. “How dare you! How dare you!”

Tarne smirks, twirling the small vial of red in his fingers. “Okay, okay, old man, I’m going. You’ve just told me everything I needed to know. So, this is what I think it is, huh?”

Sedar grasps at Tarne’s jacket with shaking hands. “You ignorant fool. You have no idea what this means.” He shoves Tarne toward the door. “Get out I say! The High Order will be hearing of this.”

“Ah, see, now you’ve put me in a predicament, old man” Tarne says. Using his strength, he forces Sedar back into the kitchen. “The High Order can not find out about this.”

Sedar feels the knife slice into his abdomen, but that isn’t what holds his attention. Even as he bleeds out, all he can sense is the darkness seeping from Tarne’s eyes. It has already begun.

I am taking a seven day blog hiatus, so any comments will be answered next week. Posts have been scheduled as usual.

If you would like to offer prompts for future posts, please check out the original post and leave a comment: Prompt Me

All excerpts are the works of K.J.Chapman.

Please request permission from the prompt creator for use of the prompt in this post.

Write Me: Forty Word Story

It’s Monday again, so that can only mean one thing… Writing challenge time! This time, I have forty words to play with, but I’m not sure if this will be a blessing or a curse.

I quickly realised it wasn’t a baptism ritual, but a sacrifice. As water filled my lungs, and my petal adorned hair swirled around my face, my mother’s screams were replaced with an ethereal voice.

“Together we will punish them all.”

Feel free to join in with your own forty word stories, and let me know what you come up with. I am taking a seven day blog hiatus, so any comments will be answered next week. Posts have been scheduled as normal.

All written works are the property of K.J.Chapman

7 Day Blog Hiatus

I’m getting married on Friday!

Needless to say, I am in organisation over drive, and slightly panicky about the mere six days I have left to get everything sorted, hence my seven day blog hiatus that will start as soon as I finish this post. I have scheduled three posts throughout the week, so my blog won’t fall silent, but I won’t be answering any comments until next week. I will still be popping onto social media from time to time.

I am hoping my little respite will stop me turning into a stressed, moody, anxious… okay, let’s say it- BRIDEZILLA! I want a small, low-key, perfect wedding, and I sure as hell will have a small, low-key, perfect wedding. Wow, I scare myself sometimes.

The next time I show my face I will be married! Wish me luck…

Some ‘Elfing’ About…

Sophie’s letter to Santa clearly worked because Star was returned to us once again. As most people know by now, the concept of having an elf come to visit has really taken off. It requires belief on the child’s part that the elf comes alive at night to get up to fun and mischief, and has the over riding say on whether they have behaved themselves in the run up to Christmas.

Here are some pics of what our elf, Star, has gotten up to:

It’s great fun watching her look for him in the morning, and her little shocked expression at what he has been doing. These are just two pictures from the week, but perhaps I ‘ll post more closer to Christmas, once his shenanigans take on new depths.

 

Current Reads Catch Up

Just a quickie to introduce the books I am currently reading. Yes, I said books plural. I tend to read at least two books at a time, but at the moment, I have three books on the go:

Infinity Squad by Shuvom Ghose

Blurb: Second Lieutenant Jonah Forrest is finding out that having infinite lives doesn’t make war any easier. Sure, downloading into a cloned body when you die is better than the alternative, but that doesn’t make a Hell-Spider’s claws hurt any less. Or his General’s orders for suicide missions any more sane.

But when his First Lieutenant gets killed in action, really killed, and when a captured Hell-Spider offers a way to get ‘kills’ without taking on the enemy, Forrest and his Infinity Squad will have to decide how hard they are willing to work to take the easy way out. Especially when the General starts catching on to their schemes. And when their Hell-Spider prisoner starts suggesting more and more dangerous alternative missions. And when they start suspecting that not ALL of their consciousness is transferring into their new cloned bodies.

Colossus by Jette Harris

Blurb: Four high school seniors find themselves locked in a house, forced to entertain the whims and appetites of an unpredictable man for one month. He calls himself Avery Rhodes. They call him Colossus, the looming, threatening figure who seems to be teetering on the edge of sanity. Heather Stokes, no stranger to tragedy, does all she can to protect her classmates, going as far as sacrificing herself time and again. As the month winds down, both Heather and Rhodes realize that they are in over their heads, and it is possible that none of them will survive. COLOSSUS is a brutal psychological thriller, with characters reminiscent of Alice Hoffman, but a plot worthy of Karin Slaughter.

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

Blurb: Raised on a ranch in northern California, Jody is well-schooled in the hard work and demands of a rancher’s life. He is used to the way of horses, too; but nothing has prepared him for the special connection he will forge with Gabilan, a hot-tempered pony his father gives him. With Billy Buck, the hired hand, Jody tends and trains his horse, restlessly anticipating the moment he will sit high upon Gabilan’s saddle. But when Gabilan falls ill, Jody discovers there are still lessons he must learn about the ways of nature and, particularly, the ways of man.

I shall review all three books as and when I finish them, but for now, I’m enjoying my reading time.

EVO Nation Chapter One

kj86chapman:

EVO Nation: Chapter One (Reblog)

Originally posted on K.J. Chapman:

In June 2015 I self-published my debut novel, EVO Nation, a young adult, science fiction, and Urban fantasy novel.

Blurb: The government tortures her, her own kind uses her, and she is learning the true meaning of ulterior motives. Teddie Leason has been dragged into the festering underbelly of the secretive world of EVO. A world about to be blown wide apart.

Now, the reclusive teenager who couldn’t get upset without her unruly ability causing destruction has to somehow embrace her gift to save her new friends and her new love.

Will the actions of one man fuel a suppressed, supremacist cult’s desire for war and vengeance, or will Teddie be strong enough to stop him? 

CHAPTER ONE

The refrigerator lies upturned amid an array of broken glass, furniture and rubbish. My mother, Shana, stands rigid in the corner. Small pearls of red materialise on her skin; glass cuts dotting her…

View original 2,933 more words

Web Presence: What I Know Now

I thought I’d do a ‘what I have learnt’ post. I dislike posts that dictate what is right and wrong because, in my opinion, there is only what works for you. This post is purely based on my experience.

I should have started building my web presence before self-publishing my debut eBook.

I never had a Twitter account, Facebook author page, or blog. It was after researching self-publishing that I decided social media was a wise idea. When it came to Twitter, I felt prehistoric. I had to ask Mr.O what ‘RT’ meant. Yep, prehistoric.

Now, I am happy to admit, I’m a Twitter aficionado. I quickly picked up the lingo and how to use a hashtag, and I’m loving the Twitter community I am now a part of. If I had joined Twitter before my eBook launch, I would have had a wider audience to market it to straight off the bat.

The same goes for my blog. Why I didn’t start sooner is beyond me. I love the blogging community and sharing my musings, excerpts, and any EVO Nation/ EVO Shift gossip. A blog is another great way to gain a target audience. It would have definitely been a help to have had my blog as a platform for EVO Nation’s release.

There is one downfall to all this web presence, and social media to keep up with… I can waste hours on it and not get any writing done. Swings and roundabouts, eh?