Adam Heine's Blog, page 33

Sadistic Choices: The Third Option

So you've got your Sadistic Choice (and hey look, I decided). The fate of the world -- which obviously rests in Erasmo's hands -- is to either become slaves forever to the evil Biebots, or else rip a hole in the space-time continuum, thus destroying the Biebots but also humanity as we know it. How do you, the author, decide what he does?



First, there is no right or wrong answer, but there are potential pitfalls which we'll get to in a second. Like everything in writing, what matters is not s...

The Enemy of Self-Publishing

The self-publishers I know personally are really great people. They're kind, open, and smart about why they went with self-publishing. Most of all, they don't think someone like me is an idiot for aiming at traditional publishing. I have no proof, but I like to believe this attitude is the majority.



But, like everything else on the internet, there is a loud, vocal minority of meanie heads.



It feels like most of the self-pubbing rhetoric out there is antagonistic. Like self-pubbing is a side...

On Overcoming Phobias

(In which my loving wife tries to reassure me as I leave for the hospital)

Cindy: "How about this? Would you rather get your blood drawn or go to the dentist?"

Me: "That's a mean question."

Cindy: "Well?"

Me: "All right. If it was just a tooth cleaning, then I guess . . . No, the dentist lasts longer."

Cindy: "See?"

Me: "Fine. I'd rather get my blood drawn than go to the dentist. There, I said it."

Cindy: "How about 'Yay! I'm getting my blood drawn!'"

Me: "Don't push it."

The Sadistic Choice

One of the things that can make fiction compelling is an impossible, sadistic choice. Like in Hunger Games, when you want both Katniss and Peeta to live, but you know only one of them can. Or like I said about Open Minds, where Kira has to decide whether to lie about having no mind powers, to mindjack everyone she loves, or to tell the truth and put herself in serious danger.



An impossible choice keeps you reading, because you don't know what you would do in that situation, and you want ...

Statistics, Milestones, and Statistics

As of this morning (last night for you in the Americas), the first draft of Post-Apocalyptic Dragon-Riding Ninjas (with Mechs!) is finished, and I can breathe a big sigh of relief. Not because the work is done (far, FAR from it), but because drafting is my least favorite part of the process.



To celebrate, I'm posting these pre-revision statistics on the four finished novels I have sitting on my computer. (What, you don't think statistics are fun? Perhaps you've mistaken this blog for someone...

My Nightmares 2: The Maze

Wait for it...

In Which I Map Social Media to High School Like Everyone Else, but with an Actual Map

It's a little frightening to me how well my social media experience maps onto my high school ones. This is a picture of how. Your mileage, of course, may vary (particularly if you hung out in the gym -- for me, that was like one of the Circles of Hell).







 Classrooms: Where we did Actual Work. This is why we were at high school, but nobody wanted to admit it. And for sure nobody wanted to hang out here. If we could, we would've hung out outside all the time.



Rally Court: Our quad was lou...

On the Art of Socializing

(In which my wife Cindy and I discuss taking our five boys to a local playgroup)

Cindy: "I don't know if I want to go to playgroup tomorrow. But the boys would love it. I feel bad."

Me: "They have snacks at playgroup, right?"

Cindy: "Yes..."

Me: "I'll take the boys."

Cindy: *smirks* "You'd have to socialize with people."

Me: "You'd be surprised how rarely you actually 'have to' socialize."

Cindy: *laughs* "Yeah, you'll just sit next to the snack table with your book, not even checking to see ...

How Needles Almost Killed Me, and How I Got Over It (Mostly)

I'm waiting to have my blood drawn as I write this. There's little else on my mind.



I hate needles.



I always have. Even in my late 20s, I had to look away and hold my breath while the nurse said, "This will only pinch a little."



When we were preparing to move out here, we had to get a couple of vaccinations. One time in particular, I was so freaked out I couldn't eat breakfast or even sit down in the waiting room. I just wanted it over with. Well, they gave me the shot, but on our way out ...

Travel Times: A Reference

 

I frequently find myself having to calculate how far away things are when I'm writing. "How long would it take him to walk there? Can a horse run that far? Who would get there first?"



This is a reference for myself, but I figured you could probably use it too. The numbers here are averages. Actual speeds and endurances will vary.




HumanHorse w/ Heavy LoadHorse w/ Light Load
Walking Speed5 kph

(3 mph)6 kph

(4 mph)10 kph

(6 mph)
Distance Traveled in a Day (8 hours)40 km

(25 mi)48 km