Doug Farren's Blog, page 15
July 12, 2015
Grammarly
This week’s post is coming to you from Georgia. I’ve been on vacation this past week visiting my dad in South Carolina and then my daughter in Georgia. Due to the driving and visiting I have not added a single word to Dragonverse Origins. I have, however, made some minor changes to a short story I wrote called Ship’s Log. I was originally planning on sending this story in to a contest until I looked at the prizes they were giving out. First prize is a copy of Scrivener – already have that. So now, I’m thinking of sending it out to a magazine. This will be my first attempt at this – I might be asking my author friends who do this for a living for some help.
We had one incident on the way down. While traveling through the mountains we encountered what at first looked like a large rock in the middle of the left lane. I had a semi on my right and a cliff on my left. I drive an SUV so I centered it over the rock and hoped for the best. We heard a loud clunk and when I looked in my rear-view mirror I watched the van behind me swerving around trying to avoid what looked like aluminum debris. Everything seemed fine so we continued driving. We pulled over at the next available exit and I climbed underneath to have a look. Whatever it was, ripped part of my undercarriage covering (the plastic running from the front to about mid-way to the rear) off. No other damage was noted. I’ll have to replace it when I get home.
Here’s my final comment concerning a program called Grammarly:
The algorithm is definitely much better than the one build into Word. But, like all such software, it will occasionally suggest a change that is wrong. Never assume any grammar checker is correct – verify what it is suggesting before you implement the change.The integration into Chrome and Word is quite good. My only complaint about the Word version is that while you are scanning a document the auto-save feature as well as the track-changes feature of Word are disabled.The ads the company uses to promote the software seem to indicate that the program is free. While this is true for the initial trial, you will be required to pay a fee if you want to continue to use the program. For a writer like myself who spends 8 or 9 months writing a story and then another 1 or 2 months editing, paying for a program you only use for a short period of time is simply not worth it. On the other hand, a good editor can easily cost twice as much as the subscription fee. If you send your manuscript to an editor then Grammarly would most likely not be a good choice. If you prefer to take your chances and not filter your manuscript through an editor, then you should seriously consider a Grammarly subscription.I write my first and second draft in Scrivener. Grammarly does not integrate with this very popular writing tool. But, I don’t do my grammar checking in Scrivener—I use Word, and Grammarly integrates very well with that program.
The bottom line is that buying a Grammarly subscription will strongly depend upon how you write and how often you need a grammar checker. For myself, I have an editor (my wife) and paying for another opinion is not cost effective. If you write a lot of short stories, if you want to grammar-check your blog every week, if you need a good grammar checker on a regular basis, then by all means get a subscription to Grammarly—it is worth the money in those situations.
We had one incident on the way down. While traveling through the mountains we encountered what at first looked like a large rock in the middle of the left lane. I had a semi on my right and a cliff on my left. I drive an SUV so I centered it over the rock and hoped for the best. We heard a loud clunk and when I looked in my rear-view mirror I watched the van behind me swerving around trying to avoid what looked like aluminum debris. Everything seemed fine so we continued driving. We pulled over at the next available exit and I climbed underneath to have a look. Whatever it was, ripped part of my undercarriage covering (the plastic running from the front to about mid-way to the rear) off. No other damage was noted. I’ll have to replace it when I get home.
Here’s my final comment concerning a program called Grammarly:
The algorithm is definitely much better than the one build into Word. But, like all such software, it will occasionally suggest a change that is wrong. Never assume any grammar checker is correct – verify what it is suggesting before you implement the change.The integration into Chrome and Word is quite good. My only complaint about the Word version is that while you are scanning a document the auto-save feature as well as the track-changes feature of Word are disabled.The ads the company uses to promote the software seem to indicate that the program is free. While this is true for the initial trial, you will be required to pay a fee if you want to continue to use the program. For a writer like myself who spends 8 or 9 months writing a story and then another 1 or 2 months editing, paying for a program you only use for a short period of time is simply not worth it. On the other hand, a good editor can easily cost twice as much as the subscription fee. If you send your manuscript to an editor then Grammarly would most likely not be a good choice. If you prefer to take your chances and not filter your manuscript through an editor, then you should seriously consider a Grammarly subscription.I write my first and second draft in Scrivener. Grammarly does not integrate with this very popular writing tool. But, I don’t do my grammar checking in Scrivener—I use Word, and Grammarly integrates very well with that program.
The bottom line is that buying a Grammarly subscription will strongly depend upon how you write and how often you need a grammar checker. For myself, I have an editor (my wife) and paying for another opinion is not cost effective. If you write a lot of short stories, if you want to grammar-check your blog every week, if you need a good grammar checker on a regular basis, then by all means get a subscription to Grammarly—it is worth the money in those situations.
July 5, 2015
Websites
There are 3 basic ways to build a website:
Create your site on a host that uses a proprietary site builder (Webs.com).Host your site with a company that supports WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or any of the other easy-to-use open-source CMS (Content Management System) platforms.Build your own using site creation or site design software.There are so many options that it's difficult to choose a single path to success. I started off using Webs.com and their proprietary site-building software. Recently, I've been reading up on WordPress (I learn a lot just by reading the manuals and then playing around) and so far I'm impressed. In researching the content of this post, I've learned there are many more alternatives, far to many for me to list here.
I am far from an expert in this field! I picked WordPress because that is what powers the Launch Pad site and I've made a commitment to help keep that site updated. But, I won't be comfortable doing so until I've had some practice at using WordPress. But WordPress is not the only popular CMS out there. I searched for "WordPress Competitors" and found a huge world of software I didn't even know existed. For a good review check out this article: wpbeginner.
I will continue to read up on WordPress and then I might look into some of the alternatives. My goal is to help Professor Mike Brotherton and Christian Ready keep the Launch Pad website up-to-date and also to move my own website off of Webs.com to a platform where I have more control. Webs.com is a good choice if you are just starting out. Their SiteBuilder software makes creating and maintaining a website relatively easy. But if you want to do anything fancy, you'll have to move it to a different host. Because Webs.com uses a proprietary interface and they do not allow FTP into their servers, you cannot migrate your site from them. You must build it fresh. This is something I am seriously considering doing.
Before you decide to build an author website of your own, do some research. Spend a lot of time researching because moving your site is not easy. Find a host that's been around for awhile and has a good reputation and then pick your website design philosophy. I might choose WordPress and then again I might go another route. I'm still researching.
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 51,225 words. Even though last week was challenging, I managed to get in quite a bit of writing. I also wrote a short story - something I haven't done in 3 years. I have not decided what to do with it yet. I'm considering submitting it to the science fiction magazines to see what happens. Who knows, it might be accepted.
My apologies to those who read my blog via my mailing list. The link I sent out was active for only a few hours. I talked about saying goodbye to my mother-in-law who passed away on June 29th and was buried on July 2nd. The rest of the family did not want the news to be distributed too soon so I pulled the post and reposted with a different heading. I was off work last week helping make the arrangements. If you're interested in the process (and it can get complicated) send me a private email and I will get back to you. Funerals can quickly become ridiculously expensive and the funeral homes love to use a person's grief to extract more money from their pockets. But, done right, a funeral homes services are indispensable.
Next week's post will most likely be late. I'm going on vacation and writing a post while driving is probably not recommended.
Create your site on a host that uses a proprietary site builder (Webs.com).Host your site with a company that supports WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or any of the other easy-to-use open-source CMS (Content Management System) platforms.Build your own using site creation or site design software.There are so many options that it's difficult to choose a single path to success. I started off using Webs.com and their proprietary site-building software. Recently, I've been reading up on WordPress (I learn a lot just by reading the manuals and then playing around) and so far I'm impressed. In researching the content of this post, I've learned there are many more alternatives, far to many for me to list here.
I am far from an expert in this field! I picked WordPress because that is what powers the Launch Pad site and I've made a commitment to help keep that site updated. But, I won't be comfortable doing so until I've had some practice at using WordPress. But WordPress is not the only popular CMS out there. I searched for "WordPress Competitors" and found a huge world of software I didn't even know existed. For a good review check out this article: wpbeginner.
I will continue to read up on WordPress and then I might look into some of the alternatives. My goal is to help Professor Mike Brotherton and Christian Ready keep the Launch Pad website up-to-date and also to move my own website off of Webs.com to a platform where I have more control. Webs.com is a good choice if you are just starting out. Their SiteBuilder software makes creating and maintaining a website relatively easy. But if you want to do anything fancy, you'll have to move it to a different host. Because Webs.com uses a proprietary interface and they do not allow FTP into their servers, you cannot migrate your site from them. You must build it fresh. This is something I am seriously considering doing.
Before you decide to build an author website of your own, do some research. Spend a lot of time researching because moving your site is not easy. Find a host that's been around for awhile and has a good reputation and then pick your website design philosophy. I might choose WordPress and then again I might go another route. I'm still researching.
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 51,225 words. Even though last week was challenging, I managed to get in quite a bit of writing. I also wrote a short story - something I haven't done in 3 years. I have not decided what to do with it yet. I'm considering submitting it to the science fiction magazines to see what happens. Who knows, it might be accepted.
My apologies to those who read my blog via my mailing list. The link I sent out was active for only a few hours. I talked about saying goodbye to my mother-in-law who passed away on June 29th and was buried on July 2nd. The rest of the family did not want the news to be distributed too soon so I pulled the post and reposted with a different heading. I was off work last week helping make the arrangements. If you're interested in the process (and it can get complicated) send me a private email and I will get back to you. Funerals can quickly become ridiculously expensive and the funeral homes love to use a person's grief to extract more money from their pockets. But, done right, a funeral homes services are indispensable.
Next week's post will most likely be late. I'm going on vacation and writing a post while driving is probably not recommended.
June 28, 2015
Content
It has been a busy week at our house. Despite all my other activities, I've been continuing to write. Dragonverse Origins now stands at 47,152 words out of a projected 85,000. I've been dividing my free time between reading up on WordPress, reading a very well-written book titled why does E=mc^2, and writing. My copy of Showing & Telling is at work and I read it during lunch and bathroom breaks.
I've been thinking about the content of this blog. The subjects have always focused on writing and keeping you posted on my progress. I have not settled on a single main theme because writing requires a broad set of skills and knowledge. But, I'm wondering if I should narrow my focus a bit. If you are a regular reader of this blog please comment if you have any suggestions along these lines.
As an indie author who is doing well with book sales (note I did not include the word "very") I have been invited to sit on several panels at this year's WorldCon. The panels I've accepted are:
Self Publishing - How to do it; Finance for WritersThe Future of "Back to the Future" or, Just Where is my flying skateboard?The New Space OperaSelf Publishing - How to Market Your Work.The official schedule will be released toward the end of July.
I read an interesting tweet yesterday with a link to another writer's blog concerning the formatting of books. The types of books I write don't require a great deal of formatting because virtually all of my sales are in the form of e-books. I do, however, have printed versions of my books. I have often thought about going back and redoing the formatting of all my books. Createspace has quite a bit of information on their site. If you search, you can find all sorts of information. Formatting a book is not an easy process. For myself, I'm not too concerned. Perhaps I will reformat if sales pick up and I start selling more hard-copies.
One more thing before I close this week's post. If you find yourself in Northern Ohio in the Cleveland area or East of that city, drop me a line if you would like to meet. I'm always interested in getting to know the people who read my books and I would like to hear your feedback. I prefer if you are open and honest about your comments as well -- that's how I learn.
I've been thinking about the content of this blog. The subjects have always focused on writing and keeping you posted on my progress. I have not settled on a single main theme because writing requires a broad set of skills and knowledge. But, I'm wondering if I should narrow my focus a bit. If you are a regular reader of this blog please comment if you have any suggestions along these lines.
As an indie author who is doing well with book sales (note I did not include the word "very") I have been invited to sit on several panels at this year's WorldCon. The panels I've accepted are:
Self Publishing - How to do it; Finance for WritersThe Future of "Back to the Future" or, Just Where is my flying skateboard?The New Space OperaSelf Publishing - How to Market Your Work.The official schedule will be released toward the end of July.
I read an interesting tweet yesterday with a link to another writer's blog concerning the formatting of books. The types of books I write don't require a great deal of formatting because virtually all of my sales are in the form of e-books. I do, however, have printed versions of my books. I have often thought about going back and redoing the formatting of all my books. Createspace has quite a bit of information on their site. If you search, you can find all sorts of information. Formatting a book is not an easy process. For myself, I'm not too concerned. Perhaps I will reformat if sales pick up and I start selling more hard-copies.
One more thing before I close this week's post. If you find yourself in Northern Ohio in the Cleveland area or East of that city, drop me a line if you would like to meet. I'm always interested in getting to know the people who read my books and I would like to hear your feedback. I prefer if you are open and honest about your comments as well -- that's how I learn.
June 21, 2015
In the Zone
If you're a writer, you know what I'm talking about--that floating feeling you get when you're 'in the zone'. It happens to me when I write code as well. Being interrupted when you're in the zone is like stopping a race-car driver in the middle of the final lap to ask him for an interview. I had been at an impasse and pretty well stuck all week. Following my own advice, I let the story sit but I continually brought it up in my head. This alerted my subconscious to the fact that this was important and needed to be solved.
Yesterday morning I was still unsure of how to proceed but I sat down to write anyway. I re-read the last couple of pages, came to the end and- - -nothing. I deleted the hanging paragraph I'd started then went back and edited a few paragraphs I'd written a few weeks ago to fix an issue I knew wouldn't work. When I went back to where I left off, I stared at the screen, fingers poised over the keyboard but nothing happened. I walked away, ate breakfast, caught up on Twitter, fed the cats and sat back down. This time, an idea popped into my head and I started typing.
At first, it was a bit rough. I went back and fixed a few things, deleted several paragraphs, and moved on. By the time my wife got up, the problem was solved and I was hammering away at the keyboard. I added a few more lines and hit save. We went to Barnes & Noble and after playing a round of Scrabble I popped open the laptop. Dividing my time between my wife and my writing I managed to squeak out another 278 words. Later that evening, my wife went to visit her mother and sister leaving me alone in the house. Not wanting to waste any time I opened the netbook and started typing away. The zone formed and I banged out 748 words in just over an hour.
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 45,647 words which is over the half-way point. I believe I have a clear path from here to the end.
I did, however, get my first comments back from Lee Dilkie, my content-editor and overall fan-based adviser. He honestly pointed out the fact that the first chapter started out great but the next 3 or 4 were boring. I'm not sure if I can fix this or not because I need to do a lot of set-up at the start of this book. I'll noodle on it and see what happens. No matter what though, I will be doing some massive editing once the first draft is done. Having someone who isn't afraid to tell you the truth is like having a stack of gold bullion in your safe deposit box.
I have created a test website hosted by biz.nfhttp://www.biz.nf/free-wordpress-hosting.php. I've started along the path of learning WordPress. So far, I've not spent much time at it but it does not appear to be too difficult. I will have to be learning PHP, HTML, CSS, and a few other internet technologies. I did look into night or weekend classes offered at our local community college but didn't find anything. So, for now, I'm on my own.
Now comes the hard part: what do I do this morning? Do I write more, learn about WordPress, or read a fascinating book I picked up at B&N called "Why Does E=MC^2"? I want to read, but I need to write and learn WordPress. Time for breakfast so the subconscious can decide for me.
Yesterday morning I was still unsure of how to proceed but I sat down to write anyway. I re-read the last couple of pages, came to the end and- - -nothing. I deleted the hanging paragraph I'd started then went back and edited a few paragraphs I'd written a few weeks ago to fix an issue I knew wouldn't work. When I went back to where I left off, I stared at the screen, fingers poised over the keyboard but nothing happened. I walked away, ate breakfast, caught up on Twitter, fed the cats and sat back down. This time, an idea popped into my head and I started typing.
At first, it was a bit rough. I went back and fixed a few things, deleted several paragraphs, and moved on. By the time my wife got up, the problem was solved and I was hammering away at the keyboard. I added a few more lines and hit save. We went to Barnes & Noble and after playing a round of Scrabble I popped open the laptop. Dividing my time between my wife and my writing I managed to squeak out another 278 words. Later that evening, my wife went to visit her mother and sister leaving me alone in the house. Not wanting to waste any time I opened the netbook and started typing away. The zone formed and I banged out 748 words in just over an hour.
Dragonverse Origins now stands at 45,647 words which is over the half-way point. I believe I have a clear path from here to the end.
I did, however, get my first comments back from Lee Dilkie, my content-editor and overall fan-based adviser. He honestly pointed out the fact that the first chapter started out great but the next 3 or 4 were boring. I'm not sure if I can fix this or not because I need to do a lot of set-up at the start of this book. I'll noodle on it and see what happens. No matter what though, I will be doing some massive editing once the first draft is done. Having someone who isn't afraid to tell you the truth is like having a stack of gold bullion in your safe deposit box.
I have created a test website hosted by biz.nfhttp://www.biz.nf/free-wordpress-hosting.php. I've started along the path of learning WordPress. So far, I've not spent much time at it but it does not appear to be too difficult. I will have to be learning PHP, HTML, CSS, and a few other internet technologies. I did look into night or weekend classes offered at our local community college but didn't find anything. So, for now, I'm on my own.
Now comes the hard part: what do I do this morning? Do I write more, learn about WordPress, or read a fascinating book I picked up at B&N called "Why Does E=MC^2"? I want to read, but I need to write and learn WordPress. Time for breakfast so the subconscious can decide for me.
June 14, 2015
WordPress
The other week, while at Launch Pad, I made a commitment to help keep the Launch Pad website updated. In order to meet this commitment, I will have to learn WordPress. This is both a good and a bad thing for me. The bad part is that it will take away the time I have for writing. The good part is that I will be learning a skill that can help me move my author website to a better platform and it will give me a skill I can leverage later on when I decide to retire from FirstEnergy. I've been wanting to learn how to build web pages for a very long time and this commitment makes it pretty much mandatory that I finally follow through on this desire.
My plan is to set up a free WordPress site called DougLearnsWordPress and use it to play around with building and maintaining a site. This will be a subdomain since I'm going to be throughing it away after I have learned enough to be comfortable with it. My author website is currently hosted on Webs.com. I started out with a free account but went to the paid version when I exceeded the number of pages allowed on the free account. Webs is easy to use because they have their own proprietary website builder. It does limit you to what you can do. I'm seriously thinking of moving to HostGator.
I chatted with a HostGator rep and he informed me that they are unable to move a website from Webs.com to HostGator. This means I will have to build my site from scratch when I do the move. This can also be a good thing as it is also another learning experience. My current contract with Webs expires in May of 2016 giving me plenty of time to learn WordPress.
I've hit a stall in Dragonverse Origins. I need to move forward in time about 2 months but doing so would make the book exceptionally long and insert a long boring section. I will need to use summary to move ahead but I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to include in this summary. Too little detail and the reader will be lost. Too much detail and the reader will become bored. I've been noodling on this for 4 days now. This is not the first time this has happened and I'm sure it will not be the last. I will eventually find a way around the problem and the writing will continue.
I've also been doing a review of Grammarly thanks to a free professional account provided by the company. I am still doing an evaluation but here are my initial thoughts:
The online version is severely limited in the amount of text it can check. Uploaded a partial document, making the changes, downloading the changes, and then merging everything back together into a full document is too difficult. I don't see a use for the online version by anyone.The Word extension works well but it does disable the automatic backup feature of Word. This is not stated up front on the Grammarly website but there are good warnings provided after you install the extension.I (along with a large number of my author friends) use Scrivener to write their initial draft. Although Grammarly does not integrate with Scrivener, this should not be a problem as most writers output their work to Word and do their final editing there.Grammarly seems to excel at finding comma errors. It is also quite good at pointing out a variety of other grammatical mistakes. As with any automated grammar checker, there will be times when the program finds things that it thinks are mistakes but really are not. This is to be expected.Grammarly is much better than Word when it comes to grammar checking.The interface seems a bit slow but that could be because I am using an older netbook with a slower internet connection. Bear in mind that Grammarly does work over the internet and if you are hooked to a slow connection you will experience a bit of frustration. I used it in an airport and I could tell it was running quite slow.The cost is what bothers me the most. Grammarly is a subscription-based service, like Microsoft Office is now. As a writer, I don't care much about grammar while I'm doing my first, second, or even third draft. I begin to look at grammar very closely in my final draft. This might be a year or more since I started a project. I also have an editor who checks my work. If the company offered an inexpensive way to check a single document then this would be a great way to double-check an editor's work.Is Grammarly worth it? I'm still doing my evaluation and the jury-in my case-is still out. For those writers who crank out a short story once a month I think Grammarly would be a wise investment. If you do a lot of writing and you need to have your work grammatically correct all the time, then Grammarly is again a good choice. If you are a writer who works in Scrivener most of the year and then uses Word to perform your final editing, Grammarly may or may not work for you. You will have to weigh the benefits of the program against the cost. If you have an editor, then perhaps you don't need the program. If you don't have an editor, I would seriously consider spending the money on Grammarly.
I will be doing a final review in a couple of weeks. If my position has not changed, I will just reference this post. Otherwise, I will be posting my final comments on the product at that time.
My plan is to set up a free WordPress site called DougLearnsWordPress and use it to play around with building and maintaining a site. This will be a subdomain since I'm going to be throughing it away after I have learned enough to be comfortable with it. My author website is currently hosted on Webs.com. I started out with a free account but went to the paid version when I exceeded the number of pages allowed on the free account. Webs is easy to use because they have their own proprietary website builder. It does limit you to what you can do. I'm seriously thinking of moving to HostGator.
I chatted with a HostGator rep and he informed me that they are unable to move a website from Webs.com to HostGator. This means I will have to build my site from scratch when I do the move. This can also be a good thing as it is also another learning experience. My current contract with Webs expires in May of 2016 giving me plenty of time to learn WordPress.
I've hit a stall in Dragonverse Origins. I need to move forward in time about 2 months but doing so would make the book exceptionally long and insert a long boring section. I will need to use summary to move ahead but I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to include in this summary. Too little detail and the reader will be lost. Too much detail and the reader will become bored. I've been noodling on this for 4 days now. This is not the first time this has happened and I'm sure it will not be the last. I will eventually find a way around the problem and the writing will continue.
I've also been doing a review of Grammarly thanks to a free professional account provided by the company. I am still doing an evaluation but here are my initial thoughts:
The online version is severely limited in the amount of text it can check. Uploaded a partial document, making the changes, downloading the changes, and then merging everything back together into a full document is too difficult. I don't see a use for the online version by anyone.The Word extension works well but it does disable the automatic backup feature of Word. This is not stated up front on the Grammarly website but there are good warnings provided after you install the extension.I (along with a large number of my author friends) use Scrivener to write their initial draft. Although Grammarly does not integrate with Scrivener, this should not be a problem as most writers output their work to Word and do their final editing there.Grammarly seems to excel at finding comma errors. It is also quite good at pointing out a variety of other grammatical mistakes. As with any automated grammar checker, there will be times when the program finds things that it thinks are mistakes but really are not. This is to be expected.Grammarly is much better than Word when it comes to grammar checking.The interface seems a bit slow but that could be because I am using an older netbook with a slower internet connection. Bear in mind that Grammarly does work over the internet and if you are hooked to a slow connection you will experience a bit of frustration. I used it in an airport and I could tell it was running quite slow.The cost is what bothers me the most. Grammarly is a subscription-based service, like Microsoft Office is now. As a writer, I don't care much about grammar while I'm doing my first, second, or even third draft. I begin to look at grammar very closely in my final draft. This might be a year or more since I started a project. I also have an editor who checks my work. If the company offered an inexpensive way to check a single document then this would be a great way to double-check an editor's work.Is Grammarly worth it? I'm still doing my evaluation and the jury-in my case-is still out. For those writers who crank out a short story once a month I think Grammarly would be a wise investment. If you do a lot of writing and you need to have your work grammatically correct all the time, then Grammarly is again a good choice. If you are a writer who works in Scrivener most of the year and then uses Word to perform your final editing, Grammarly may or may not work for you. You will have to weigh the benefits of the program against the cost. If you have an editor, then perhaps you don't need the program. If you don't have an editor, I would seriously consider spending the money on Grammarly.
I will be doing a final review in a couple of weeks. If my position has not changed, I will just reference this post. Otherwise, I will be posting my final comments on the product at that time.
June 7, 2015
A Week at Launch Pad
Thanks to my time at Launch Pad, Dragonverse Origins now stands at 42,242 words. I’m sitting in the Denver airport writing this post and then I will return to working on Origins.
I had a great time at Launch Pad this year—my fourth time. I know I will always have a great time every year. If you’re a writer, editor, or work in the entertainment industry, I urge you to apply for acceptance into next year’s Launch Pad. There is room for about 18 applicants each year. Even if you are positive you will not be accepted, please apply anyway. The number of applicants can be used to help secure funding for future sessions.
Since this is my fourth time through the course, I spent most of my time writing. Although I’ve been returning to this event every year since 2012, I’m actually not part of the ‘official’ staff. That honor is reserved for the instructors: Founders Professor Mike Brotherton and Professor Jim Verley, and returning instructors Andria Schwartz and Christian Ready. I am a returning alumni who helps out by being one of the drivers. Having someone who has been through the course before has worked out for Mike and my invitation to return each year is still in effect.
I spent a considerable amount of time discussing my self-publishing success with some the traditionally published writers. Indie authors like myself are gaining ground in acceptance among the traditional writers. Provided indies continue to adhere to high standards, this trend should continue. The big disappointment this year was the last-minute cancelation of Kameron Hurley. Based on the tweets I’ve been reading from her I was really looking forward to meeting her. I am hoping she will reapply next year.
I also spent quite a bit of time talking to Steve Davidson, publisher of Amazing Stories. I will be sending him an email concerning my upcoming appearance on a panel at WorldCon. When it’s all over, I will be writing an article about my experience that will appear in his quickly-growing magazine. He will not be attending WorldCon.
One of my ongoing complaints with Launch Pad has been the outdated quality of their website. After discussing this with Mike Brotherton and Christian Ready, they've agreed to give me admin access to the site so I can try to bring it up-to-date. I have no plans to change the overall look and feel of the website, but I do intend on trying to keep it up-to-date. My first task, when I arrive back home, will be to learn WordPress. As soon as I'm comfortable with it, I will begin updating the Launch Pad website.
In other news, Grammarly has given me a free account to evaluate their product. My initial experience has been mixed, but I'm still learning my way around the product. I will present my honest views of this program from an indie author’s perspective in the near future.
I had a great time at Launch Pad this year—my fourth time. I know I will always have a great time every year. If you’re a writer, editor, or work in the entertainment industry, I urge you to apply for acceptance into next year’s Launch Pad. There is room for about 18 applicants each year. Even if you are positive you will not be accepted, please apply anyway. The number of applicants can be used to help secure funding for future sessions.
Since this is my fourth time through the course, I spent most of my time writing. Although I’ve been returning to this event every year since 2012, I’m actually not part of the ‘official’ staff. That honor is reserved for the instructors: Founders Professor Mike Brotherton and Professor Jim Verley, and returning instructors Andria Schwartz and Christian Ready. I am a returning alumni who helps out by being one of the drivers. Having someone who has been through the course before has worked out for Mike and my invitation to return each year is still in effect.
I spent a considerable amount of time discussing my self-publishing success with some the traditionally published writers. Indie authors like myself are gaining ground in acceptance among the traditional writers. Provided indies continue to adhere to high standards, this trend should continue. The big disappointment this year was the last-minute cancelation of Kameron Hurley. Based on the tweets I’ve been reading from her I was really looking forward to meeting her. I am hoping she will reapply next year.
I also spent quite a bit of time talking to Steve Davidson, publisher of Amazing Stories. I will be sending him an email concerning my upcoming appearance on a panel at WorldCon. When it’s all over, I will be writing an article about my experience that will appear in his quickly-growing magazine. He will not be attending WorldCon.
One of my ongoing complaints with Launch Pad has been the outdated quality of their website. After discussing this with Mike Brotherton and Christian Ready, they've agreed to give me admin access to the site so I can try to bring it up-to-date. I have no plans to change the overall look and feel of the website, but I do intend on trying to keep it up-to-date. My first task, when I arrive back home, will be to learn WordPress. As soon as I'm comfortable with it, I will begin updating the Launch Pad website.
In other news, Grammarly has given me a free account to evaluate their product. My initial experience has been mixed, but I'm still learning my way around the product. I will present my honest views of this program from an indie author’s perspective in the near future.
May 31, 2015
T-1 Day
Today I pack for Launch Pad! It will be great to see Christian Ready, Andria Schwortz, and Mike Brotherton again. Over the years of over-packing for this trip, I think I've finally figured out how to pack what is needed to keep my luggage down to a minimum. My schedule for tomorrow looks sort of like this:
0230 - Up early. Finish loading the car and leave the house by around 0330.
0400 - Arrive at my desk at work. I have a report to do before leaving.
0530 - This is when I MUST leave work to head for the airport.
0630 - Arrive at Park-N-Fly.
0900 - Flight leaves for Denver.
1020 - (Local time) Arrive in Denver.
1130 - Last person for my group arrives - head for car rental.
1200 - In the van and headed for Launch Pad.
1400 - Projected arrival in Laramie.
I am the only person at Perry who can currently generate the Monthly Performance Report for Work Management. The report is due next week with some people wanting the numbers as early as possible. I have automated most of the process but there are manual steps required as well. Once I actually generate the report data -- I'm done. I can actually do the rest while in Laramie. But, I'm giving myself some extra time in case there's an issue with the code.
I'm not sure if I will be posting a blog next Sunday due to that being a busy travel day. If I have time, I will pre-write the post and upload it before leaving Sunday morning.
Dragonverse Origins stands at 35,057 words. You should expect a significant jump in that when I post next. I will be spending my mornings in the Student Union or the Turtle Rock Cafe drinking coffee and writing. I have also been through this course before and I will most likely sit and write in class.
My UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) just kicked in. We have storms moving through the area and the power has fluctuated a couple of times since yesterday. If you don't write from a laptop (with a good battery of course) then you should invest in a UPS. Having your computer go dead after writing the best paragraph of your life would be a heart-wrenching experience. I work at a nuclear power plant with multiple power supply backups and one of the first things I did after assuming my role as Work Management Database Administrator was to ask my supervisor to order me a good UPS. It pays to be safe!
That's it from me. It's still early and I have much to do today.
0230 - Up early. Finish loading the car and leave the house by around 0330.
0400 - Arrive at my desk at work. I have a report to do before leaving.
0530 - This is when I MUST leave work to head for the airport.
0630 - Arrive at Park-N-Fly.
0900 - Flight leaves for Denver.
1020 - (Local time) Arrive in Denver.
1130 - Last person for my group arrives - head for car rental.
1200 - In the van and headed for Launch Pad.
1400 - Projected arrival in Laramie.
I am the only person at Perry who can currently generate the Monthly Performance Report for Work Management. The report is due next week with some people wanting the numbers as early as possible. I have automated most of the process but there are manual steps required as well. Once I actually generate the report data -- I'm done. I can actually do the rest while in Laramie. But, I'm giving myself some extra time in case there's an issue with the code.
I'm not sure if I will be posting a blog next Sunday due to that being a busy travel day. If I have time, I will pre-write the post and upload it before leaving Sunday morning.
Dragonverse Origins stands at 35,057 words. You should expect a significant jump in that when I post next. I will be spending my mornings in the Student Union or the Turtle Rock Cafe drinking coffee and writing. I have also been through this course before and I will most likely sit and write in class.
My UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) just kicked in. We have storms moving through the area and the power has fluctuated a couple of times since yesterday. If you don't write from a laptop (with a good battery of course) then you should invest in a UPS. Having your computer go dead after writing the best paragraph of your life would be a heart-wrenching experience. I work at a nuclear power plant with multiple power supply backups and one of the first things I did after assuming my role as Work Management Database Administrator was to ask my supervisor to order me a good UPS. It pays to be safe!
That's it from me. It's still early and I have much to do today.
May 24, 2015
Dragons
I was beginning to wonder about my word counts for Dragonverse Origins. I was doing a lot of typing, the bottom graph showing my word count for the session was going up, but the draft target number didn’t seem to be changing. There is a feature in Scrivener that allows you to exclude a document in the final output document. I had turned on this feature for the unfinished chapter when I sent what has been written so far to my content-editor. I failed to turn it back on. After doing so, my word count now stands at 33,669. Much better.
The action is beginning to pick up and the dual threads of my plot are moving along well. Soon, one of the threads will come to a sudden end that is also a turning point for my main character—a young adult named Milus. I’ve been doing a lot of reading up on the Medieval times and I’ve learned that most of what we are shown in movies and in many books is just plain wrong. I like to keep my books as scientifically and historically accurate as possible and that means doing a lot of research when I start talking about subjects I’m not familiar with. It does slow down the writing but—in the end—you get a better product.
I will be departing for Launch Pad in about a week. While all of the other guests will be staying at the Honor House on the University of Wyoming campus, I will be staying at the home of Mike Brotherton, the creator of Launch Pad and fellow dragon enthusiast. I’ll be in the downstairs area which is decorated with a large assortment of dragons including this incredible dragon skull.
A friend of mine from the writers group I attend has done a two-part blog interview with me. If you’re interested in reading it and following her blog you can find the post here. This is a recently created website built in preparation for the release of her first self-published book. She is an avid fan of science fiction and is planning on attending WorldCon 2015 (Sasquan). I will be doing a similar interview of her in the near future.
To close, I just can’t resist sharing this picture with you. My daughter’s boyfriend posted it on Facebook. This is one cool building!
You can read more about it and see more pictures here.
The action is beginning to pick up and the dual threads of my plot are moving along well. Soon, one of the threads will come to a sudden end that is also a turning point for my main character—a young adult named Milus. I’ve been doing a lot of reading up on the Medieval times and I’ve learned that most of what we are shown in movies and in many books is just plain wrong. I like to keep my books as scientifically and historically accurate as possible and that means doing a lot of research when I start talking about subjects I’m not familiar with. It does slow down the writing but—in the end—you get a better product.
I will be departing for Launch Pad in about a week. While all of the other guests will be staying at the Honor House on the University of Wyoming campus, I will be staying at the home of Mike Brotherton, the creator of Launch Pad and fellow dragon enthusiast. I’ll be in the downstairs area which is decorated with a large assortment of dragons including this incredible dragon skull.
A friend of mine from the writers group I attend has done a two-part blog interview with me. If you’re interested in reading it and following her blog you can find the post here. This is a recently created website built in preparation for the release of her first self-published book. She is an avid fan of science fiction and is planning on attending WorldCon 2015 (Sasquan). I will be doing a similar interview of her in the near future.
To close, I just can’t resist sharing this picture with you. My daughter’s boyfriend posted it on Facebook. This is one cool building!
You can read more about it and see more pictures here.
May 17, 2015
Quick Update
I was catching up on so much stuff this morning I nearly forgot I needed to put out a blog post. Dragonverse Origins (at least what has been written so far) has been sent to my content-editor for his review. Lee is very good at pointing out areas where I've messed up, where I should write more or less, and scenes that could be done in a slightly different way. Although I have the final say (after all, it is my novel) most of the time Lee has a very valid point and I take his advice.
Lee Dilkie is not a "professional" content-editor. He's a fan who just happens to have a knack for doing the job of a content-editor. Note I don't say he's a copy-editor or a proof-reader. Content-editors are more like beta readers except they get more into the details of the novel. Lee is one of those people who wrote me concerning issues he found in my past novels and I asked him to be a beta reader for Peacekeeper 2. He did more than just tell me it was good or not--he pointed out where I needed to improve. Thus, a long-distance relationship was established and I'm pretty sure we'll be working together for quite a long time.
This brings up a couple of interesting points. Writers must learn to listen to their readers. Sure, if you're under contract with a large publisher they'll provide you with an editor to go through your book with a fine-tooth comb. This type of editor combines the function of content-editor and proofreader. They typically have a degree in English. But, does that mean you should ignore the feedback you get from your readers? NO. There are some authors out there who refuse to read reviews and are unreachable via email. I can see someone like Stephen King wanting to keep his email private--having to respond to several thousand emails would prevent him from doing any more writing. But for writers like myself, the feedback is like gold.
There's no doubt you will get some very negative feedback. Don't take these to heart. There are people out there who get a kick when they slam someone. They're cowards who hide behind the anonymity of the internet. I have read novels I didn't care for. Perhaps it was the author's style or the story itself. If I didn't like it but the story is put together well, I will give a good review and state why I didn't like it. I am entitled to my own opinion and so are all readers, but that does not mean one should write a horrible review just because you didn't like the story. I don't like seafood, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give Red Lobster a horrendous review because they serve seafood. There are times though when the story does deserve a bad review. Poor grammar, a plot that makes no sense, characters who do things a normal person would never do, etc. Give it a low mark--but explain why. Be detailed. The writer needs to learn--the reviewer can become a teacher in this instance.
I like to engage my readers. If someone writes me - I write them back even if only to say thank you. I read every review and I take what people say to heart.
Dragonverse Origins is going to be a challenging book to write because it combines Medieval people with advanced alien technology and is a link between two previously unrelated novels. So far, its been fun to write. The challenging part is about to begin.
Lee Dilkie is not a "professional" content-editor. He's a fan who just happens to have a knack for doing the job of a content-editor. Note I don't say he's a copy-editor or a proof-reader. Content-editors are more like beta readers except they get more into the details of the novel. Lee is one of those people who wrote me concerning issues he found in my past novels and I asked him to be a beta reader for Peacekeeper 2. He did more than just tell me it was good or not--he pointed out where I needed to improve. Thus, a long-distance relationship was established and I'm pretty sure we'll be working together for quite a long time.
This brings up a couple of interesting points. Writers must learn to listen to their readers. Sure, if you're under contract with a large publisher they'll provide you with an editor to go through your book with a fine-tooth comb. This type of editor combines the function of content-editor and proofreader. They typically have a degree in English. But, does that mean you should ignore the feedback you get from your readers? NO. There are some authors out there who refuse to read reviews and are unreachable via email. I can see someone like Stephen King wanting to keep his email private--having to respond to several thousand emails would prevent him from doing any more writing. But for writers like myself, the feedback is like gold.
There's no doubt you will get some very negative feedback. Don't take these to heart. There are people out there who get a kick when they slam someone. They're cowards who hide behind the anonymity of the internet. I have read novels I didn't care for. Perhaps it was the author's style or the story itself. If I didn't like it but the story is put together well, I will give a good review and state why I didn't like it. I am entitled to my own opinion and so are all readers, but that does not mean one should write a horrible review just because you didn't like the story. I don't like seafood, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give Red Lobster a horrendous review because they serve seafood. There are times though when the story does deserve a bad review. Poor grammar, a plot that makes no sense, characters who do things a normal person would never do, etc. Give it a low mark--but explain why. Be detailed. The writer needs to learn--the reviewer can become a teacher in this instance.
I like to engage my readers. If someone writes me - I write them back even if only to say thank you. I read every review and I take what people say to heart.
Dragonverse Origins is going to be a challenging book to write because it combines Medieval people with advanced alien technology and is a link between two previously unrelated novels. So far, its been fun to write. The challenging part is about to begin.
May 10, 2015
Events
The editing of Dragonverse Origins continues. I'm about 3/4 done but after yesterday's author meeting I might have to do some rewrites to the chapter I just finished editing. Seems I'm not as good about thinking like a 12-year old as I thought. But, then again, it is MY work and I can accept or reject the comments from the group. Then again, when more than one person has the same opinion, it's time to reconsider.
One of the hardest parts of being a writer is being able to accept criticism. After all, you spent a lot of time working on your budding novel and now a bunch of mystery and romance novelists are going to tell you that you need a rewrite? Two of our members have MFAs. Several of the others may not have been published yet but they've been writing for quite awhile. All of them are readers and it's the readers that a writer needs to listen to. When you go to a writer's group, the feedback you are getting is generally not the feedback of an English teacher correcting your work, it's the feedback of readers who just happen to be writers. Listen to them. And that's what I'm going to do.
I leave for Laramie in 3 weeks, heading off to Launch Pad. I've been going to this event since 2012 and I've met a wonderful group of people each year. This August, I will be attending WorldCon (Sasquan). A good number of my Launch Pad acquaintances will also be there as well as an equal number of people from Launch Pad's I did not attend. I made some inquiries and I have a room reserved (401C) to hold a Launch Pad reunion as well as to allow anyone interested in applying to come and speak to those who have been through the course. It will be good to see those I've met before again and it will be fun to meet the others I've never met. If you are attending WorldCon, and you are available on the 21st, stop in and see us.
The other event I'm attending this year is the first-ever Schrodinger sessions. This event is being held at Joint Quantum Institute just North of Washington DC. Ever since traveling through the area several years ago, I swore I would never go through the DC area again. I hate traffic and it was horrendous. But, I could not pass up this opportunity. This event is modeled after Launch Pad but is only 3 days long. I am close enough to drive to this event. ($0.47/mile tax deduction too). Unlike Launch Pad, I've not had the time to research the people who are going. Perhaps I will do so this week. But, everyone has introduced themselves through email and I'm going to be in good company. Several people I know from Launch Pad will be there. If you've ever seen the movie "Earth to Echo", I will be meeting the person who did the screen play for it. I'm looking forward to having a great time.
If you had asked me back in 2009 when I put my first book up on Amazon what my life as a writer would be in 2015, I would have responded with something like, "I don't know---sitting around writing, collecting a few hundred dollars a year in royalties and continuing to work at the power plant." I would never have guessed that I would be an honorary member of the Launch Pad team, traveling to Laramie once a year, traveling to events such as the Schrodinger sessions, being a member of SFWA, and being asked to sit on at least one panel at WorldCon. My life as a writer is not nearly as boring as I thought it would be. I still have my job at the power plant but it's one that allows me to work a flexible schedule and I'm doing what I absolutely love to do--write code.
This only goes to prove that if you are persistent, listen to your readers, interface with the right people, and work hard at being a writer, you can achieve your dreams. I'm living my dream right now. Time to get back to writing.
One of the hardest parts of being a writer is being able to accept criticism. After all, you spent a lot of time working on your budding novel and now a bunch of mystery and romance novelists are going to tell you that you need a rewrite? Two of our members have MFAs. Several of the others may not have been published yet but they've been writing for quite awhile. All of them are readers and it's the readers that a writer needs to listen to. When you go to a writer's group, the feedback you are getting is generally not the feedback of an English teacher correcting your work, it's the feedback of readers who just happen to be writers. Listen to them. And that's what I'm going to do.
I leave for Laramie in 3 weeks, heading off to Launch Pad. I've been going to this event since 2012 and I've met a wonderful group of people each year. This August, I will be attending WorldCon (Sasquan). A good number of my Launch Pad acquaintances will also be there as well as an equal number of people from Launch Pad's I did not attend. I made some inquiries and I have a room reserved (401C) to hold a Launch Pad reunion as well as to allow anyone interested in applying to come and speak to those who have been through the course. It will be good to see those I've met before again and it will be fun to meet the others I've never met. If you are attending WorldCon, and you are available on the 21st, stop in and see us.
The other event I'm attending this year is the first-ever Schrodinger sessions. This event is being held at Joint Quantum Institute just North of Washington DC. Ever since traveling through the area several years ago, I swore I would never go through the DC area again. I hate traffic and it was horrendous. But, I could not pass up this opportunity. This event is modeled after Launch Pad but is only 3 days long. I am close enough to drive to this event. ($0.47/mile tax deduction too). Unlike Launch Pad, I've not had the time to research the people who are going. Perhaps I will do so this week. But, everyone has introduced themselves through email and I'm going to be in good company. Several people I know from Launch Pad will be there. If you've ever seen the movie "Earth to Echo", I will be meeting the person who did the screen play for it. I'm looking forward to having a great time.
If you had asked me back in 2009 when I put my first book up on Amazon what my life as a writer would be in 2015, I would have responded with something like, "I don't know---sitting around writing, collecting a few hundred dollars a year in royalties and continuing to work at the power plant." I would never have guessed that I would be an honorary member of the Launch Pad team, traveling to Laramie once a year, traveling to events such as the Schrodinger sessions, being a member of SFWA, and being asked to sit on at least one panel at WorldCon. My life as a writer is not nearly as boring as I thought it would be. I still have my job at the power plant but it's one that allows me to work a flexible schedule and I'm doing what I absolutely love to do--write code.
This only goes to prove that if you are persistent, listen to your readers, interface with the right people, and work hard at being a writer, you can achieve your dreams. I'm living my dream right now. Time to get back to writing.
