Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 102

ROW80: A Lot of Eggs, a Shortage of Baskets

Well, sadly I must be short and sweet with my update this week.

With the exception of yesterday (Saturday) I have exceeded my daily target of 750 words per day on my current novel. I also managed to keep up with my blog posts, and made another quick stop on my blog tour over at Ambrose Stollikers blog talking about the Horrors of Real Life 

Further than that I have had a busy week plotting out the next two chapters of my novel. Nothing too in-depth, I like having the freedom to manoeuver, but enough to give me some structure and barriers to keep me on track and prevent me wandering off on too many tangents.

I have also spent a lot of time pondering Kristen Lamb's post of this week, which I think has created a new writing phrase. "The Stickiness Factor" – Check out her incredible – if sleep depriving blog here and see for yourself what I mean. Let's Get Sticky

 

I am also getting closer to finalising a posting schedule that hopefully incorporates some of the above and helps expand my visitor range.

All in all I am delight with my progress these past few weeks and hope it stays this way. Now it is time to go off and enjoy my Sunday with the kids.

Thanks for reading.

An Old Friend Will Guide Us Home

It was cold, the breeze cut through Madeline's black dress and chilled her to the bone. There was something about the cry of the wind as it whistled through the gravestones that seemed oddly fitting to her.

She shuddered and then felt an arm drape over her shoulders. It was cool, but she felt the comfort it offered and leaned into it.

" It's all going to be fine Maddie."  He whispered to her. " Come on, let's go home." He turned to leave.

Madeline took one last look down into the earth. The coffin so clean, so final. She wiped her eyes and steadied herself before leaving the men who stood in wait to bury what had once been.

"I can't go home. Not yet." She whispered to him as they strolled arm in arm through the graves back to the car.

" That's alright. We have all the time in the world. Whenever your ready." He pulled her tight against him and Madeline smiled. In spite of it all she smiled.

Not long after they had gotten into the car it started to rain. A fine misting rain, one that didn't seem too hard but after a few moments of standing in it, you were soaked to the skin. They parked the car and ran into the restaurant. They took a small corner table and sat out of view facing each other.

"You know you can't put it off forever Maddie." He spoke finally, cupping her delicate hands in his. Her skin was cold from the rain and pale from the long winter. She looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow, her hair wet and flat against her head.

"I know, but please. Can we stay just one more night. I'm not ready. I know you came here to bring me home, and I know I asked for it. But.." Madeline felt her bottom lip begin to tremble, as the tears built in her eyes. She drew a breath and her whole body shook.

"One more night. But then it's time." He squeezed her hands and wiped away the tear that had rolled down her cheek.

"Thank you." She mouthed him. Too spent to speak the words.

The left the restaurant just as the rain stopped. The sun followed and as they walked, having sent the car and driver on his way the ground steamed and misted around them. As if the earth itself were baking. The hotel they were staying in was as good as empty. A few cars stood in the courtyard but they had yet to see any other guests. Their room was basic, but it met their needs.

They would lie in bed together, curled up, listening to the sounds of the world go by. They talked about childhood, school and vacations. They embraced each other, their bodies warm against the cold air of spring. So often regarded as the time of life, of new beginnings.

Madeline slept, slipping into the dark abyss, and for the first time since the funeral dreams returned. Colorful, vivid dreams, memories of her past all rolled together. A montage of times past, memories made and shared. Joys and sorrows all relived, and when she woke she knew.

It was time to go home.

When Madeline opened her eyes she knew where she was, she stared at the ground, the grave now two weeks filled. She opened her hand and felt his icy fingers slips through hers once more…

For she had called him to come and guide her home…

… and his name was Death.

ROW80 : Full Speed Ahead

Well it is that time of the week again. The weekend is just beginning to crest on the horizon, tempting us to take lingering glances at what it may hold in store.

It has been a crazy week at work so far, yet despite having skipped two of my three lunch breaks this week, I have still managed to hit 750 words a day on average. Which I am happy with. This also does not include blog posts.

I am now 25,000 words into Trials and Tribulations and have just finished the opening scene for each storyline. Now they are on course to converge at set up book three. All in all I am delighted with how well the writing is going.

On the side of sales for Highway to Hell I had hoped for something more, but ok, so I haven't set the world ablaze yet, I can certainly smell some smoke, and as we all know there is no smoke without fire, so I it just a question of me biding my time. I did sell a copy yesterday, and that delighted me. I have also shipped out about 6 copies so far to reviewers and I am hoping once these come rolling in I will be able to spread my name with the backing of others.

That is about it really for this post. I haven't really done much else in terms of writing other than chip away at my T&T so the avenue of updates is kind of limited. Although in the interest of sharing, I sat down yesterday and went through all of the story ideas in plot lines that I have stored away inside my mind over the last few years, and realized that after this trilogy I have approximately 9 books already planned out, one of which is a series so that can span multiple other novels. So thankfully I know that I have enough writing material already to keep me going for a while yet.

 

Thank you for reading.

Where the Hell am I Sitting: Preposition Transportation

In an effort to give myself a more regular blog posting cycle, I have decided to dedicate Mondays to the wonder of the English language and bring out all grammar articles highlighting the do's and do not's of this great langauge.

By this I do not mean to bore you all with the standard everyday grammar rules that we learn in school, but rather the more unique and complication elements that make English so rich.

My first article is something that I only learn recently and it had me perplexed. Let me start with a little play acting.

You are on the way to work, your mobile goes. You answer it. It's me calling.

Me: "Hey, Good morning, where are you, I'm in line for the coffees."

You: "Hey Alex, Yeah I'm on my way. I'm in the bus… no wait on the bus.. no in…….."

I knew that there was different ways of using prepositions with regards to transportation, but I never understood that there are rules that govern when a certain one is to be used.

Okay, I know that you are on the bicycle and not in the bicycle because that would just be weird. Much the same applies for horses, Jet Ski's Emus and Lamas.

In the general instance, the governing rule for which preposition to use is the 'personal' space that you have whilst using said transportation. You are in a car, because you have limited room and cannot exactly get up and move around. You are on a train, or on the boat because there is space for you to get up and move around as much as you like.

The above is straight forward enough. In if you are constrained, and on if you have room to yourself. Simple right…. well now it gets interesting.

The correct preposition is governed not only by the type of vehicle but also its momentum. This is only applicable to "in-vehicles" as to be on the bike or on the horse remains the same.

For example, you are riding the bus to work, a colleague calls and ask where you are. You look up from your book and see you are moving, no traffic. Your reply would be I'm on the bus a few minutes later your partner calls, just to say good morning. They ask where you are. You look up again, and see that you are in a bus stop waiting for a long queue of people to get onboard. Your reply now would be I'm in the bus.

I hope that this has been informative, I was certainly something that I didn't know. Before I leave I do however have one question.

Taking into the account the above, what the Hell would you say if someone called while you were canoeing??

ROW80: I Love Writing

Well it has been a successful week over all.I averaged in excess of 1500 words a day. Spread between guest posts for my blog your, posts for my own blog and also on Trials and Tribulations. I think I hit about 750 words a day on my Novel which is progressing well.

Yesterday I get a lot less done that I would have liked but we have a festivities week in our town and yesterday there was a big tent with games and music for the kids, so we went to see that and then in the afternoon we took our eldest son to a 3D – musical of Alice in Wonderland starring his favourite group.

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By the time we got home I was beat and so my word count yesterday was about 1200, and only 500 of that was on my WIP. Still not a bad effort now that I think about it.

Today I want to hit at least 1000 on my novel, and won't go to bed until it has been achieved. Another busy day with the kids and the festivities today so they should sleep well which gives me a bigger writing window come tonight.

 

For the rest my sales have well…. I won't say dried up because that would suggest an initial flow. Lets just say that sales are taking a break and biding their time. But I am okay with that because I have faith in my writing, and once I get a few reviews in I am sure things will turn around.

I have been putting a lot of thought into my blog also. As some of you may have read in my post yesterday. I am planning on creating a real schedule for myself to follow. One that not only ensures I post every day but one that will allow me to build up a store of articles that I can pre-write and then only need to add the finishing touches to in order to post. This I hope will give my blog a stability that I am currently lacking, and hopefully allow me to build up a few more followers.

I am also tempted to open my blog up to guest posts on a regular basis, should anyone be willing. However, I have more thoughts on that and have a separate post planned to cover it.

All in all it has been a great week for writing. I am now just over a quarter of the way through Tarranau by James Tallett and it is amazing. I can't wait to have a few spare moments and pick it up again.

Is Romance Dead?

"Do you remember our first date?" He asked as they strolled down the beach. The sand was still warm from the summer sun and the water cool against their bare skin.

They walked along the tide line, the water merely caressing them as they passed.

"How could I forget." Sharon whispered as she slipped her arms through Jason's and hugged him close to her.

"Here, lets sit down." Jason stopped walking. The lights and life of the town were far enough behind them so that the sound of the ocean drowned them out.

It was a clear night and the moon reflected off the water creating just enough light for Jason to see the beautiful women who sat beside him. The years had been kind to her, her skin was still unblemished by the wrinkles of the years, her hair just as full and naturally coloured as the day they met. Her breasts pert and firm even though she had celebrated her fortieth birthday the winter before.

"You look beautiful tonight." He whispered stroking the side of her face with the back of his hand. Before combing a few stray hairs back behind her ear.

Sharon didn't say anything, she was staring out into the waves, hypnotized by the moon's reflection and the way it just rolled over the gently undulating surface of the water.

They had been together for almost 20 years, Jason had been ten years old than her, and their relationship had not gone down well with Sharon's family. Her father in particular had taken an intense dislike to Jason. But Jason was a realistic man, he didn't hold grudges. While they had never had any children of their own, Jason was sure he would have been just as protective had he had a daughter.

Sharon turned to face him, and her face looked suddenly tired, her eyes hazy and confused, like someone being roused from the deepest of sleep. "Jason?" She asked confused.

Jason leaned in and kissed her, and the same time reaching back into the pocket of his Jeans. He pulled out the small box and opened it while she wasn't looking. He opened it and fumbled inside, but it was empty. His hands began to fumble quicker and quicker. It couldn't be empty, it just couldn't.

He broke their kiss and raised the box to his face. Beside him Sharon saw the small square package and gasped in surprise.

"Shit." Jason exploded under his breath. He dug his hands into the sand and clenched his fists. "How could I have run out?" He asked himself.

It was ten o clock at night on a Saturday in a remote Cornish village, it was at least a four-hour drive back to their home, and there was no way Jason could risk getting the drugs from anyone other than his normal supplier, and by that time she would be lucid enough to remember things. Maybe not everything, but surely enough. The abduction, the months she spent in chains while he worked on getting the dosage right before he could think about letting her move around the house.

"What is there Jason? Tell me baby?" She leaned in again. He could feel her hands tremble slightly.

"Nothing sweetheart. It doesn't matter. Just a small change of plans, but nothing to worry about." There were tears in his eyes, they glistened in the pale light, which made him look old and gaunt.

Jason shuffled closer to her, and put his arm around her shoulder. "I really do love you Sharon. I always have." He whispered, kissing the base of her ear and the nape of her neck.

"Mmmm Jason. Here? Are you sure, people could see." She cooed, getting the wrong impression.

"It's a risk, but there's nothing else for it." He traced his hands up her bare arms, cupped her face and kissed her deep. Their tongues danced and embraced like lovers. It as then that Jason lowered his hands and began to squeeze.

It took longer than he had expected, but his kiss muffled her screams. Eventually Sharon fell still. Her eyes wide, they caught the moonlight and the stars, trapping them there for eternity.  Jason dusted himself off, and carried the body a few meters closer to the sea, the tide would have risen before morning, either taking her away for removing all trace. He would be back home, hiding everything, removing the dead bolts from the doors and windows, emptying out the basement so that when the police arrived he could play the grieving partner to full effect.

**

If you like this story please check out my novel Highway to Hell. You can read a free sample and download the full 96,000 word novel at Amazon

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter (@vanplank)

 

Running A Blog The Right Way

Now that I find myself busy embarking on my first real blog tour, I am beginning to interact with other not as writers but as bloggers. The one thing I have noticed is that careful planning and preparation that these people put into their blogs. Not just in terms fo ensuring that the grammar is correct in every post, or that they avoid using too many links and looking like a giant ad board, but with regards to the way they run the blog.

They run their blog like a business, which I guess it is, or rather a division of a business. The blog of a writer is a place for us to promote ourselves, share ideas and kind of drain our minds of all the thoughts and notions that float around in it, making space for the current works in progress. Not forgetting of course the cross promotion of other writers, carefully placed back-links and guest posts from aspiring writing, successful writers, publishers, agents and cover artists. The other important thin a blog gives us writers is a centralized place to sell our work. Sure the purchases will go through other sites and companies, but we can direct people to our page in order to get there.

The important thing, and the part that I am only just really beginning to grasp is how to run a blog well. My current system, ROW80 updates aside is to wake up, if I have an idea I'll try to write something before work, or otherwise at various points during the day. Other days I simply have an interesting (to me at least) idea his me as I am driving to work or sitting behind my desk, and then I try to find the time to write about it. Some days I have no clue and try to just force something out for the sake of it  (Today is a bit of both, I had an idea, but this post is somehow moving away on a tangent)

I have approached several fellow writers, people I am luck enough to call friends, and asked if they would be willing to host a post I have written or will write once I receive their approval. While all have said yes, they have all come back to me with a schedule. They can put me in the diary for the xxth or have space in two weeks. This is fine with me, anybody who is willing to put up with my ramblings can wait years to do so if they chose. (ok maybe not years.) But it certainly got me thinking. There are some days when I get multiple ideas, and while I make a note of them, but the time it comes to writing them I can never get that same feeling and train of thought going that I had in the initial moment.

Maybe it is time that I started to write the ideas in full or as close as, as soon as I get them, that way I can build up a string of blog posts that can either be scheduled in or kept in an In Case of Emergency Break Glass kind of box. Possibly even a pile set aside for each.

It does strike me as a sensible idea, and may actually make my blog appear slightly more professional. I won't hide who I am behind a mask of dead straight professionalism, because that just isn't who I am, but hey a little improvement here and there can never hurt.

 

ROW80: Just Keep Trucking

Well it is ROW update time again. I don't know what it is but these last few weeks have gone by in a blur and my blogging schedule is all up in smoke. Not that I really have a schedule exactly, but hey I have two days a week dedicated to ROW updates and I seem to forget them with relative ease recently.

Image from Google

So here it goes. Sunday as  always, I got minimal writing done. It has to do with staying up late to write on a Saturday and then spending my last day of freedom with my children. I actually quite like having one day a week off.

 

Monday I got about 1500 words written including a 600 word guest post that is due to come out this weekend. Thus my WIP total was 900 words or thereabouts.

Tuesday I managed a grand total of 2200 words across the board. 700 + was on my WIP (Trials and Tribulations) 700 words on a blog post about Success and how if we make failure impossible life becomes nothing more than a series of individual successes, and another 600 words on a guest blog post.

Wednesday Work really kicked my ass today and so all I have gotten done was 400 words this morning when it was still dark outside and the real world slept. I want to try to get another few hundred words done tonight.

In terms of my promotion work for Highway to Hell I have made two stops on the winding road that is my blog tour. You can find them both here,

Raising Children With Horror (on TrulyDisturbingHorror.com) and Living with Horror (on KillerAphrodite.com)

Sales are still hovering on the low side, but I have four more guest posts coming up in the coming days / weeks and hopefully three reviews in a similar space of time. With any luck the reviewers will like my novel as much as I do and give it a favourable review that will generate a few more sales to help me on my way.

Well that's about it for now, thanks for reading and don't forget (close your eyes to avoid a shameless plug) Highway to Hell is available at Amazon.com (also .co.uk and .de) and Smashwords.com

 

The Cost of Success

Success is a strange word. It is used to describe people who have succeeded at a given task, but what does it really mean? How do we know when we have succeeded?

The Oxford (online) English Dictionary gives the following definition for Success.

1 the accomplishment of an aim or purpose:the president had some success in restoring confidence


the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status:the success of his play


[count noun] a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc.:to judge from league tables, the school is a successI must make a success of my business


2 archaic the good or bad outcome of an undertaking:the good or ill success of their maritime enterprises

but what does this really mean. How can we measure success? Is it possible to quantify this achievement that we all crave. Can you be a small success or a great success? Sure these words are used, but are the people using them not merely comparing the subjects 'success'  to their own interpretation of the word?

I don't believe that it is possible to be a partial success, you either succeed or you fail. This of course is dependent on your own valuation of the word. That is where success is measured, not in the dictionary definition, but in the numerical translation of it.

Success in itself is not a singular event but a number of continuing success that simply build like a snowball rolling down a mountain. You could easily say success is always achieved, and that we never fail. It simply isn't possible. All failure means is a temporary halt in your chain of success. A plateau which just means a new approach or a strong shove in the same direction is needed to get that ball rolling once more.

The first success is as simple as  a word.  Writing that first word and that opening sentence are the first two successes. You state your intentions with the first, and set the tone with the second. Then completing the novel, the first draft is another success. So it grows until finally we succeed at writing (including editing and all other parts of the writing process) a novel. By my own reckoning, that makes me a success in its own right.

But let's face it, success in the modern world doesn't begin until after this stage. Success is about sales, and about money. Whether we admit to it or not, money drives us all, not in a greedy I want to be mega rich way, but simply putting a roof over my families head way.

What is the magic number that we should set ourselves to call our novel a success? Do we judge it by sales along? Reviews, its position on the Amazon best sellers ranking lists?

Personally I think that the magic point is that breakeven figure. I know that if I sell 100 copies then I will have broken even on what it cost me to make, after that everything is a profit, which ultimately in my eyes means I have succeeded. Sure I would like to be able to retire from my mundane office existence, to live writing everyday and be able to say I can support myself, and one day I will, but that has no real measure on how I define myself.

It is important as a writer to have these personal goals and success milestone, because the world will judge us in the hard and unforgiving way it always does, and if we ever stop to listen, we will always hear failure, because you can never give the world enough. It will always demand more from you.

Don't get me wrong, demand can be a good and very motivating factor, just  so long as you have these personal markers to guide you. To keep you grounded and to keep you aware that you are a success. With each day we simply add to an every increasing list of achievements.

The Fast and the Furious

Time is something that we all have in common. It is a constant, yet probably one of the most varied aspect of every day. An hour can pass in the blink of an eye, or a minute can feel like forever. Time waits for no man, and so we all march to its tune.

None of this was more evident to me than during these past two weeks. What with finally finished my novel, having it edited by a professional editor, (and having no major issues discovered) the launch and to top it all off my daughter celebrated her first birthday.

This past year has flown by, and has seen so many changes in my life. The adjustment of having three children, the eldest of which at the time was only three, a new job that while it pays the bills hardly satisfies me, not to mention the writing process in general. I have to fit my writing in around the first two things, which at time can make things interesting.

Now to top it all off I have to engage in something I find incredibly difficult. Promoting myself. I always knew that this was coming, and I knew it would be my biggest challenge. From writing posts for my own sites, guest posts and not forgetting short stories, teasers and all manner of Facebook wall posts, and tweets my time is even more stretched than ever. Especially as I am writing a trilogy, I need to ensure that I get the second novel out as soon as I can while the memory of book 1 is still fresh in people's minds.

I have read several posts over the last few weeks that talk about this, and about how everybody nowadays seem to not just want but expect something for nothing, and they want their something immediately. From people at work sending me an email asking me something and chasing it up within 2 minutes (yes that actually happens to me…. regularly.) and then after being told it will take a number of weeks they still hassle me on a bi-daily basis. To the non-stop world of Facebook and Twitter which if you ignore for too long will forget you in a fraction of the time it took for it to recognize you. It is not surprising that the pressure of time is felt more now than ever.

I have noticed that the majority of my prime posting time for both twitter, Facebook and other social media and blog worlds is the middle of the night for the majority of my followers and friends. This means that while I may post and promote my way through the day, but at least 75% of them end up either unread or pile up so that should someone view my profile they may feel overwhelmed and feel I am forcing the issue too much.

I am more than happy to take a step back, to slow down and wait for things to happen. Had I hoped for more sales than I have gotten? Yes, am I disappointed with the page views and likes (read all social media acknowledgements)? Yes. Do I have the time to build things up slowly and climb may way to the top of the hill? Yes. Will the world wait for me…? I'm going to make it.