R.K. Gold's Blog, page 8
August 17, 2017
The Dark Tower
Okay, so I finally saw the movie, and honestly, I don't think it deserved some of the hate it's been getting. I emphasized some because obviously, those bashing it for not being true to the book are right.
Though it was a forgettable experience, I do owe the movie a debt of gratitude. After seeing the movie with my brother, and hearing about all the adventures of Roland, Susanna, Eddie, and Jake, my desire to finally complete the book series was re-ignited.
I have not looked back. After finishing The Gunslinger in one sitting, it only took me two days to read The Drawing of the Three, and I'm flying through The Waste Lands. How it took me so long to pick up these books is beyond me. This is exactly the sort of adult fantasy I've been craving. I haven't felt this attached to a series since I waited for the midnight release of the Harry Potter novels.
My thoughts: How does Stephen King do it? Like really. How? My current infatuation with his work has led me to all the wiki fan sites and online threads discussing the dark tower and showing how all the universes connect. He has always been one of my favorites, but I feel once I finish this series I'll be able to erase the "one of."
Reading him sort of reminds me of Ford and Arnold's obsession with perfection in Westworld. It isn't the fantasy that keeps bringing readers back, it's the dedication to just the smallest details that, for a moment, allow the reader to completely forget where they are in the world and be fully immersed in his.
I think once I finish his Dark Tower series I am going to move on to the Bill Hodges trilogy.
Though it was a forgettable experience, I do owe the movie a debt of gratitude. After seeing the movie with my brother, and hearing about all the adventures of Roland, Susanna, Eddie, and Jake, my desire to finally complete the book series was re-ignited.
I have not looked back. After finishing The Gunslinger in one sitting, it only took me two days to read The Drawing of the Three, and I'm flying through The Waste Lands. How it took me so long to pick up these books is beyond me. This is exactly the sort of adult fantasy I've been craving. I haven't felt this attached to a series since I waited for the midnight release of the Harry Potter novels.
My thoughts: How does Stephen King do it? Like really. How? My current infatuation with his work has led me to all the wiki fan sites and online threads discussing the dark tower and showing how all the universes connect. He has always been one of my favorites, but I feel once I finish this series I'll be able to erase the "one of."
Reading him sort of reminds me of Ford and Arnold's obsession with perfection in Westworld. It isn't the fantasy that keeps bringing readers back, it's the dedication to just the smallest details that, for a moment, allow the reader to completely forget where they are in the world and be fully immersed in his.
I think once I finish his Dark Tower series I am going to move on to the Bill Hodges trilogy.
August 14, 2017
New Satire
It's funny, it's one of those mornings where you've been awake for hours but choose to stay in bed, cuddling your dog, and reading a book, rather than deciding to start your day. One of those relaxing moments where you get to enjoy a dreamlike state of relaxation while awake.
But I'm finding it hard to concentrate today because I feel this is the week I finally conquer this new satire manuscript I've been working on. For a while I was asking myself, what is celebrity and why is it so important? Mostly I was asking why is there such stress put on people to achieve some sort of notoriety while the world still considers them kids.
I can't begin to even count how many of my friends (older and younger) who are looking to the age of 30 like it's a death sentence. The way they dread that birthday sounds like they're counting down to Armageddon.
That's where the main focus of this manuscript came from. I started by imagining what sort of punishment I could create for someone who failed to find their calling by the time they were 30 (or failed to become an influencer in a field they were passionate about) and started building the world out from that.
The place I created turned out to be an Asylum, which separated the world of those living a celebrity lifestyle and a world of savages who failed to do so and were therefore ostracized from society.
Well, it's been a long journey and I am excited to say I think the rough draft will be done THIS WEEK! What was supposed to be only a short 50k manuscript to occupy my summer in between editing and the Lost in the Clouds release, has turned into a 100k word three part adventure.
The editing process is going to be a b**** err rough, but I'm so excited to finish this draft and maybe get the final copy out by the start of 2018.
But I'm finding it hard to concentrate today because I feel this is the week I finally conquer this new satire manuscript I've been working on. For a while I was asking myself, what is celebrity and why is it so important? Mostly I was asking why is there such stress put on people to achieve some sort of notoriety while the world still considers them kids.
I can't begin to even count how many of my friends (older and younger) who are looking to the age of 30 like it's a death sentence. The way they dread that birthday sounds like they're counting down to Armageddon.
That's where the main focus of this manuscript came from. I started by imagining what sort of punishment I could create for someone who failed to find their calling by the time they were 30 (or failed to become an influencer in a field they were passionate about) and started building the world out from that.
The place I created turned out to be an Asylum, which separated the world of those living a celebrity lifestyle and a world of savages who failed to do so and were therefore ostracized from society.
Well, it's been a long journey and I am excited to say I think the rough draft will be done THIS WEEK! What was supposed to be only a short 50k manuscript to occupy my summer in between editing and the Lost in the Clouds release, has turned into a 100k word three part adventure.
The editing process is going to be
June 29, 2017
Lost in the Clouds
Lost in the Clouds is a special text to me. Yes it's short, clocking in around 40k words, but man it took me a while to get it ready for publication. I wrote the initial draft in under a month with a very clear idea in mind.
I knew I wanted 8 chapters; the first being an intro and the following seven to represent challenges that loosely align with the seven chakras.
It's tricky to deal with a subject matter like the afterlife. There are so many questions you need to account for while writing, like how his body works now that he's dead, or what happens to the other souls. It's not quite world building but it can be overwhelming throughout the edits. Maybe that's why it took me about 4 months to take that initial draft, polish it, re-write it, and polish it again. From first to final draft I cut over 12k words.
The funny thing is, I still look back at the text and ask myself is this the best I could possibly do? I could've probably kept editing the book for another year or two, making changes here and there, or major re-writes in important scenes.
It's nerve-wracking to put something you've worked so hard on, for so long, out on the market. Even now, a month away from the release I am stressing about the reception.
I'm happy that at the very least I have an amazing cover and want to give a special thank you to Julie Hopkins for working with me (I know I can be difficult at times).
I just want to say to all those who have supported me so far, thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much. Your kind words have truly meant the world to me.
Lost in the Clouds comes out August 2nd and is available for digital pre-order in the links below.
Amazon
APPLE IBOOKS
BARNES & NOBLE
GOOGLE PLAY
KOBO
Thank you again.
Best wishes,
R.K. Gold
I knew I wanted 8 chapters; the first being an intro and the following seven to represent challenges that loosely align with the seven chakras.
It's tricky to deal with a subject matter like the afterlife. There are so many questions you need to account for while writing, like how his body works now that he's dead, or what happens to the other souls. It's not quite world building but it can be overwhelming throughout the edits. Maybe that's why it took me about 4 months to take that initial draft, polish it, re-write it, and polish it again. From first to final draft I cut over 12k words.
The funny thing is, I still look back at the text and ask myself is this the best I could possibly do? I could've probably kept editing the book for another year or two, making changes here and there, or major re-writes in important scenes.
It's nerve-wracking to put something you've worked so hard on, for so long, out on the market. Even now, a month away from the release I am stressing about the reception.
I'm happy that at the very least I have an amazing cover and want to give a special thank you to Julie Hopkins for working with me (I know I can be difficult at times).
I just want to say to all those who have supported me so far, thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much. Your kind words have truly meant the world to me.
Lost in the Clouds comes out August 2nd and is available for digital pre-order in the links below.
Amazon
APPLE IBOOKS
BARNES & NOBLE
GOOGLE PLAY
KOBO
Thank you again.
Best wishes,
R.K. Gold
January 12, 2017
What is Success?
I’m sorry this is a rant. Just follow along and if you get bored I won’t fault you for not reading it in its entirety.
In introductory economic courses one learns how to prioritize scarce resources to optimize the consumer’s utility. It’s so much easier to find the tangent point on the highest possible indifference curve in class than in life. Not just because the numbers grow substantially and the goods become more real, but because it’s laughable to think we have a mathematical measurement to happiness. Yes, efficiency does provide a good foundation, but as I formulate the proper equations to figure out exactly how much of product A and B my consumer should buy to maximize their budget, I’m left wondering is this truly happiness? Of course not. It’s a problem that needs to be solved. But when it’s applied to the real world does it suddenly become real or am I still just solving problems with more at stake?
How much easier would like be if happiness was a tangible score? What if we all had a weight watcher point system for our actions. Go to the gym and achieve five points; finish your homework and earn ten. What if our daily lives were actually measured on a 100 point scale and we could know just how close to happiness we really were, wouldn’t that make life easier? Or would it just make it sadder. Perhaps we thrive on the ambiguity of success, and perhaps it creates a drive that only comes from an infinite journey.
I ask myself these questions because of Twitter of all things. I look at hundreds of profiles, each one offering the author an opportunity to brag about their accomplishments. No one is wrong for taking this opportunity to brag, but it is curious to see just what we see as accomplishments. I could be speaking with someone who is world renown in a field I am unfamiliar with. They could lose the popular argument to an individual famous for playing video games on a youtube channel. Is success still a personal accomplishment or has it become the perception the world has of you? Perhaps that’s all social media has done, solidified life as a competition. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I just wonder if even those who claim success is a personal achievement believe what they preach on their social media to their thousands of followers. It’s a romantic thought, but given a popular vote how many people choose the simple life over the glamor and fame. I feel it’s far more romantic for them to “wish” for it, while secretly pursuing the interviews.
This is not to fault anyone for their thoughts. Even I can’t help but fall victim to these contradictions. I’m publishing this online hoping it gets a few views. I have been jealous of others public achievements.
What makes me happy? Do I want to write something brilliant that makes the world drop to its knees or do I want to avoid the spotlight all together? While a part of me craves fame, I can feel my stomach tie in knots at the thought of being in the spotlight. I hate getting my picture taken for family photos seen by a dozen people, I would melt if exposed to the world.
I just genuinely don’t know what happiness is. I know that’s not profound and I know many ask the same thing. I just don’t know, I don’t know where to start, and the sad thing is even if I know where to look I might be going the wrong way. Is happiness a contradiction? Is it too complete to ever be achieved? Will we ever satisfy every morsel of desire we have or is that just a paradox? We want to be charitable and comfortable, open and mysterious, brave but live to see another day. If war guaranteed you would survive wouldn’t you sign up to be on the front line so the bards could sing of your heroics for centuries?
I’m sorry for the rant.
If you made it all the way through, I hope you weren’t too bored.
In introductory economic courses one learns how to prioritize scarce resources to optimize the consumer’s utility. It’s so much easier to find the tangent point on the highest possible indifference curve in class than in life. Not just because the numbers grow substantially and the goods become more real, but because it’s laughable to think we have a mathematical measurement to happiness. Yes, efficiency does provide a good foundation, but as I formulate the proper equations to figure out exactly how much of product A and B my consumer should buy to maximize their budget, I’m left wondering is this truly happiness? Of course not. It’s a problem that needs to be solved. But when it’s applied to the real world does it suddenly become real or am I still just solving problems with more at stake?
How much easier would like be if happiness was a tangible score? What if we all had a weight watcher point system for our actions. Go to the gym and achieve five points; finish your homework and earn ten. What if our daily lives were actually measured on a 100 point scale and we could know just how close to happiness we really were, wouldn’t that make life easier? Or would it just make it sadder. Perhaps we thrive on the ambiguity of success, and perhaps it creates a drive that only comes from an infinite journey.
I ask myself these questions because of Twitter of all things. I look at hundreds of profiles, each one offering the author an opportunity to brag about their accomplishments. No one is wrong for taking this opportunity to brag, but it is curious to see just what we see as accomplishments. I could be speaking with someone who is world renown in a field I am unfamiliar with. They could lose the popular argument to an individual famous for playing video games on a youtube channel. Is success still a personal accomplishment or has it become the perception the world has of you? Perhaps that’s all social media has done, solidified life as a competition. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I just wonder if even those who claim success is a personal achievement believe what they preach on their social media to their thousands of followers. It’s a romantic thought, but given a popular vote how many people choose the simple life over the glamor and fame. I feel it’s far more romantic for them to “wish” for it, while secretly pursuing the interviews.
This is not to fault anyone for their thoughts. Even I can’t help but fall victim to these contradictions. I’m publishing this online hoping it gets a few views. I have been jealous of others public achievements.
What makes me happy? Do I want to write something brilliant that makes the world drop to its knees or do I want to avoid the spotlight all together? While a part of me craves fame, I can feel my stomach tie in knots at the thought of being in the spotlight. I hate getting my picture taken for family photos seen by a dozen people, I would melt if exposed to the world.
I just genuinely don’t know what happiness is. I know that’s not profound and I know many ask the same thing. I just don’t know, I don’t know where to start, and the sad thing is even if I know where to look I might be going the wrong way. Is happiness a contradiction? Is it too complete to ever be achieved? Will we ever satisfy every morsel of desire we have or is that just a paradox? We want to be charitable and comfortable, open and mysterious, brave but live to see another day. If war guaranteed you would survive wouldn’t you sign up to be on the front line so the bards could sing of your heroics for centuries?
I’m sorry for the rant.
If you made it all the way through, I hope you weren’t too bored.
December 19, 2016
1 semester down
Finished my first semester of grad school and I am tired. To make matters worse I feel so far behind on my reading. School is one place you can feel fast and slow at the same time. I look around at all these first year grad students who seem to have it all together and I feel like it's freshmen year all over again. What is my purpose? Why do I love what I love and what is an acceptable answer when people ask me "what do you want to do with the rest of your life?" or "with that degree?" Usually I get by with a smile; sometimes I reluctantly add "I just love researching and writing." But I never have a concrete answer. People expect me to have my future carved in the same rock as my headstone. I shutter at the thought. I'm studying Economics, a social science, not aerospace engineering where the destination seems to go in one direction.
It was quite an exhausting semester, and to add to the exhaustion I had to wake up every morning and look at the growing pile of books I haven't gotten around to reading (and in some cases editing) yet. The pile just kept growing. I didn't think trees came from books, I always thought it was the other way around, but my room resembles a forest.
My dog enjoys the extra attention I'm able to give him now. He likes that I can stay up until 1 petting him. We've finally entered the world where he is my world. He's a pretty cute world so I don't mind.
I just can't tell if I am filled with excitement or stress. I have a month of free time to focus on reading and writing, so of course all I want to do is read and write, but since I had so much potential energy building up over the course of the semester I'm worried I won't be able to use it all and feel incomplete when I start econometrics II at the end of January.
It was quite an exhausting semester, and to add to the exhaustion I had to wake up every morning and look at the growing pile of books I haven't gotten around to reading (and in some cases editing) yet. The pile just kept growing. I didn't think trees came from books, I always thought it was the other way around, but my room resembles a forest.
My dog enjoys the extra attention I'm able to give him now. He likes that I can stay up until 1 petting him. We've finally entered the world where he is my world. He's a pretty cute world so I don't mind.
I just can't tell if I am filled with excitement or stress. I have a month of free time to focus on reading and writing, so of course all I want to do is read and write, but since I had so much potential energy building up over the course of the semester I'm worried I won't be able to use it all and feel incomplete when I start econometrics II at the end of January.
September 7, 2016
Hello Grad School
So I started grad school. Finishing up my second week. I think it’s going alright. I was really nervous for weeks leading up to it, but once the first day of class started I realized one simple truth: Just read and you’ll be fine.
I think this strategy is playing out alright for me so far. I make sure I am at least a half chapter ahead in most of my classes so I know what the teacher is talking about. I don’t know—I want to do well. I am happy I am pursuing a Masters Degree in something I love. I feel lucky to be doing it.
Do you ever just get that feeling though that no matter how much stuff is going on in your life you are just stuck, or aren’t where you need to be? You could bust your ass off and have a top 10 selling book but quietly wonder to yourself “I thought I’d be top 5 by now.”
I don’t know. Truth be told I should be reading right now. I am just writing this I guess to procrastinate a little longer.
Things are going well, and I know that. I’ve been getting some editing done for a visionary fiction book I wrote back in March. I’ve been reading a lot of really great indie books (and some non-indie books). My dad and I are also bonding over biographies (especially on audiobooks)—yes I have rediscovered the gloriousness of audiobooks.
There is nothing quite as relaxing as taking the dog for a nice 3-5 mile walk with an audiobook. I can see why Stephen King said he listens to like 30 of them every year in his book On Writing. (he reads an additional 50 the guy is a machine).
I’ve just been so tired lately. So tired. Editing is really draining and it’s tough to motivate myself to do it sometimes. It’s funny, writing a rough draft actually gives me energy. I mean I can write 1000 words and feel good, 2000 and feel great, 3000 and am I ready to run a marathon with a truck strapped to my back.
Anyway, I should get back to studying. Here’s to Econometrics! Wish me luck.
I think this strategy is playing out alright for me so far. I make sure I am at least a half chapter ahead in most of my classes so I know what the teacher is talking about. I don’t know—I want to do well. I am happy I am pursuing a Masters Degree in something I love. I feel lucky to be doing it.
Do you ever just get that feeling though that no matter how much stuff is going on in your life you are just stuck, or aren’t where you need to be? You could bust your ass off and have a top 10 selling book but quietly wonder to yourself “I thought I’d be top 5 by now.”
I don’t know. Truth be told I should be reading right now. I am just writing this I guess to procrastinate a little longer.
Things are going well, and I know that. I’ve been getting some editing done for a visionary fiction book I wrote back in March. I’ve been reading a lot of really great indie books (and some non-indie books). My dad and I are also bonding over biographies (especially on audiobooks)—yes I have rediscovered the gloriousness of audiobooks.
There is nothing quite as relaxing as taking the dog for a nice 3-5 mile walk with an audiobook. I can see why Stephen King said he listens to like 30 of them every year in his book On Writing. (he reads an additional 50 the guy is a machine).
I’ve just been so tired lately. So tired. Editing is really draining and it’s tough to motivate myself to do it sometimes. It’s funny, writing a rough draft actually gives me energy. I mean I can write 1000 words and feel good, 2000 and feel great, 3000 and am I ready to run a marathon with a truck strapped to my back.
Anyway, I should get back to studying. Here’s to Econometrics! Wish me luck.
August 28, 2016
Online Confidence
I used to be terrified about what other people thought. I kept my opinions to myself and tried my best to remain neutral on topics, even when I had a strong opinion, because I feared people would judge me. To me, the worst thing in the world would be someone thinking I’m stupid.
I know this may be a silly fear, but it’s true. I couldn’t even tweet about a controversial topic because the last thing I would want would be some anonymous egg telling me how stupid I am. Worst of all, I couldn’t even admit this fear. If anyone asked I would’ve lied and said the usual “you can’t worry about others” or “just be sure of yourself” spiel.
I remember once I received an anonymous email on my website from “a concerned friend” telling me they were worried about me because my writing is failing and a bunch of other bs I don’t fully remember anymore. But the whole email was composed to make me feel bad, and it worked.
Anyway, I’m writing this piece, because the truth of the matter is, not only can I admit I used to be afraid of online harassment, but I no longer am (or at least am getting better at it).
How? Simple, I started writing more online and publishing it publicly. I have several pieces with Buffalo Rising and The Public in Buffalo and the comment section (particularly in Buffalo Rising) can be brutal if you get political. At first these comments devastated me. I couldn’t handle the names I was being called, but I kept writing and kept publishing.
Soon I was able to brush the comments off. Then I started dealing with trolls on twitter. The more I did so, the less their words bothered me, until I was able to just laugh them off.
So if anyone out there is dealing with the same struggle, my advice to you is start putting yourself out there and taking the lumps. Soon you’ll be able to laugh it off too. I gotta say, the internet is a lot more fun when you truly don’t care what a bunch of anonymous jackasses think.
I know this may be a silly fear, but it’s true. I couldn’t even tweet about a controversial topic because the last thing I would want would be some anonymous egg telling me how stupid I am. Worst of all, I couldn’t even admit this fear. If anyone asked I would’ve lied and said the usual “you can’t worry about others” or “just be sure of yourself” spiel.
I remember once I received an anonymous email on my website from “a concerned friend” telling me they were worried about me because my writing is failing and a bunch of other bs I don’t fully remember anymore. But the whole email was composed to make me feel bad, and it worked.
Anyway, I’m writing this piece, because the truth of the matter is, not only can I admit I used to be afraid of online harassment, but I no longer am (or at least am getting better at it).
How? Simple, I started writing more online and publishing it publicly. I have several pieces with Buffalo Rising and The Public in Buffalo and the comment section (particularly in Buffalo Rising) can be brutal if you get political. At first these comments devastated me. I couldn’t handle the names I was being called, but I kept writing and kept publishing.
Soon I was able to brush the comments off. Then I started dealing with trolls on twitter. The more I did so, the less their words bothered me, until I was able to just laugh them off.
So if anyone out there is dealing with the same struggle, my advice to you is start putting yourself out there and taking the lumps. Soon you’ll be able to laugh it off too. I gotta say, the internet is a lot more fun when you truly don’t care what a bunch of anonymous jackasses think.
August 19, 2016
Tips to be a Know-it-all
So, over the past year I realized I have sort of a talent at being a know-it-all. My arrogance took me by surprise because I thought "hmm, how could I possibly be a know-it-all and feel so stupid all the time?" Then it hit me; I had been using some pompous cheat codes to give the impression of douchebaggery without even realizing it.
So I am here to reveal my three tips to be the know-it-all in your friend group. Don't worry, this takes close to no skill and you'll be annoying your friends in no time.
1st
Subscribe to the Economist. I know what you may be thinking, if this requires no skill why are you making me read a magazine?. Well never fear. You don't actually have to read the whole magazine to sound like a jackass. Just read the first two pages. It sums up the news of the entire week. Three paragraphs from this section and you'll know more details about foreign affairs than your friends who watch MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News, daily.
2nd
Visit PEW once a week. You won't come across as a pedantic prick unless you have statistics to back it up. If you have time I would recommend searching the census bureau site too, but that’s not necessary. PEW tends to have more timely data on trending topics. Look at their home page and see if there are any topics you and your friends have been debating.
3rd
Download the Brainy Quote app and read through it a couple times a day. You can sort quotes by authors or topics. If you can pull off a timely quote by some famous dead guy in the middle of a conversation you will be the KING (or queen) of arrogance. Don't believe me? Give it a try. Or as Nikos Kazantzakis once said "In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can."
It’s that simple.
So I am here to reveal my three tips to be the know-it-all in your friend group. Don't worry, this takes close to no skill and you'll be annoying your friends in no time.
1st
Subscribe to the Economist. I know what you may be thinking, if this requires no skill why are you making me read a magazine?. Well never fear. You don't actually have to read the whole magazine to sound like a jackass. Just read the first two pages. It sums up the news of the entire week. Three paragraphs from this section and you'll know more details about foreign affairs than your friends who watch MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News, daily.
2nd
Visit PEW once a week. You won't come across as a pedantic prick unless you have statistics to back it up. If you have time I would recommend searching the census bureau site too, but that’s not necessary. PEW tends to have more timely data on trending topics. Look at their home page and see if there are any topics you and your friends have been debating.
3rd
Download the Brainy Quote app and read through it a couple times a day. You can sort quotes by authors or topics. If you can pull off a timely quote by some famous dead guy in the middle of a conversation you will be the KING (or queen) of arrogance. Don't believe me? Give it a try. Or as Nikos Kazantzakis once said "In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can."
It’s that simple.
July 17, 2016
Progress, I suppose
Well another week in the bag. I can’t tell if these blog posts are making time move faster or slower. All I know for sure is when Sunday rolls around and I look back at my week I can’t help but shake my head and wonder where did that time go?
It was a somewhat productive week. Finished edits on an old novel and got 12 thousand words into a new one. I really need to focus on editing all my old manuscripts but I just feel so static when I’m not working on something new. It seems like I am more efficient when I set a daily hard-line goal on new content and a soft goal on editing. That’s how it worked this past week; 2,000 words a day (one day off) for the new book, and 30-40 pages of edits in one sitting, which could take forever.
There is nothing better, while editing, than coming across a scene that can stay intact or be scrapped completely. The most nitpicky work comes when the scene is necessary but has a lot of issues.
Anyway, just because I finished editing doesn’t mean I should solely focus on this new manuscript. I think I need to keep this process alive, pick one of the 9 manuscripts in my queue and get to editing. It’ll probably be Something About Maud because I already started the edits on that book.
I really need to do that book justice since one of the big supporting characters (Maud) is paying homage to one of my favorite movie characters of all time: Maude from Harold and Maude. It is a completely different plot from Harold and Maude but deals with similar themes; my main character Jessica is young, alone in the world, and in need of guidance by someone with worldly experience to help her move past the demons surrounding her life and take the next step forward her journey of self discovery.
Well that’s pretty much all I got. I suppose I could think of more to say but what’s the point? I’m hoping to entertain people not make them read dribble for the sake of a word count. Anyway I hope everyone has a great week and I’ll see you again next Sunday.
-R.K. Gold
PS apparently coffee causes cancer again. When are they going to make up their minds on the beverage? Not even three months ago scientists were saying it may be linked to reducing your risk of cancer. Are they only interviewing people who smoke while they drink coffee?
It was a somewhat productive week. Finished edits on an old novel and got 12 thousand words into a new one. I really need to focus on editing all my old manuscripts but I just feel so static when I’m not working on something new. It seems like I am more efficient when I set a daily hard-line goal on new content and a soft goal on editing. That’s how it worked this past week; 2,000 words a day (one day off) for the new book, and 30-40 pages of edits in one sitting, which could take forever.
There is nothing better, while editing, than coming across a scene that can stay intact or be scrapped completely. The most nitpicky work comes when the scene is necessary but has a lot of issues.
Anyway, just because I finished editing doesn’t mean I should solely focus on this new manuscript. I think I need to keep this process alive, pick one of the 9 manuscripts in my queue and get to editing. It’ll probably be Something About Maud because I already started the edits on that book.
I really need to do that book justice since one of the big supporting characters (Maud) is paying homage to one of my favorite movie characters of all time: Maude from Harold and Maude. It is a completely different plot from Harold and Maude but deals with similar themes; my main character Jessica is young, alone in the world, and in need of guidance by someone with worldly experience to help her move past the demons surrounding her life and take the next step forward her journey of self discovery.
Well that’s pretty much all I got. I suppose I could think of more to say but what’s the point? I’m hoping to entertain people not make them read dribble for the sake of a word count. Anyway I hope everyone has a great week and I’ll see you again next Sunday.
-R.K. Gold
PS apparently coffee causes cancer again. When are they going to make up their minds on the beverage? Not even three months ago scientists were saying it may be linked to reducing your risk of cancer. Are they only interviewing people who smoke while they drink coffee?
July 11, 2016
Another shrimp on the barbie
Isn’t it funny how when things pile up all you want to do is sleep? I have an upcoming deadline for my next release, grad school prep classes, and work, all adding to my stress so all I could do to combat it yesterday was take my dog for two walks and see two movies. Now the movies I saw were hilarious, and I managed to get a fair amount of reading done on the two walks, but I would hardly call those accomplishments.
I did end up getting a fair amount of editing done, but all I wanted to do was write something new. Again, funny how that works since I desperately need to edit the 9 rough drafts in my writing folder but all I want to do is keep adding to the pile. I started a new manuscript yesterday, and while I know I should put it on the back burner it just keeps calling my name. It kept me up late last night because every time I closed the computer this little voice in my head kept saying “just write a little more. What’s 500 more words? Finish the chapter, come on you know you want to.”
Yep, so that’s where I’m at right now. Very happy with everything going on in my life, but wishing I had the ability to stop time so I could sleep for a week without aging a day and resume life fully recovered. I’m very excited about the new release though.
The name of the book is Lost Boys, and I’m publishing it with Weasel Press based out of Houston, Texas. They have been very good to me so I am always excited to publish a project with them. Other than that I am still figuring out how Goodreads works. I just discovered Lists were a thing the other day when a friend of mine told me Brinwood was on one. It’s really cool just how much this site can do. It really is a little online paradise for bookworms. I wish I was involved with the community sooner because it just has so much to offer.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a good weekend and goes on to have a good week.
I did finish the first draft of Book 1 in my new YA series. No clue what I’m going to do with it yet. Last thing I need to do is toss another shrimp on the barbie.
Thank you for reading.
Best regards,
R.K. Gold
I did end up getting a fair amount of editing done, but all I wanted to do was write something new. Again, funny how that works since I desperately need to edit the 9 rough drafts in my writing folder but all I want to do is keep adding to the pile. I started a new manuscript yesterday, and while I know I should put it on the back burner it just keeps calling my name. It kept me up late last night because every time I closed the computer this little voice in my head kept saying “just write a little more. What’s 500 more words? Finish the chapter, come on you know you want to.”
Yep, so that’s where I’m at right now. Very happy with everything going on in my life, but wishing I had the ability to stop time so I could sleep for a week without aging a day and resume life fully recovered. I’m very excited about the new release though.
The name of the book is Lost Boys, and I’m publishing it with Weasel Press based out of Houston, Texas. They have been very good to me so I am always excited to publish a project with them. Other than that I am still figuring out how Goodreads works. I just discovered Lists were a thing the other day when a friend of mine told me Brinwood was on one. It’s really cool just how much this site can do. It really is a little online paradise for bookworms. I wish I was involved with the community sooner because it just has so much to offer.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a good weekend and goes on to have a good week.
I did finish the first draft of Book 1 in my new YA series. No clue what I’m going to do with it yet. Last thing I need to do is toss another shrimp on the barbie.
Thank you for reading.
Best regards,
R.K. Gold
