David R. Michael's Blog, page 26

How Blue Got Her Name (in THE DOOR TO THE SKY)

 
Blue, in the novel The Door to the Sky, is a woman with goddess-like power over the air and sky. That her name is "Blue" seems almost obvious. What else would her name be?
 
Funny story…
 
I plotted The Door to the Sky in September 2006 after plotting The Summoning Fire (though before *writing* The Summoning Fire; I was saving TSF for NaNoWriMo that year). And, as I had done when I plotted The Summoning Fire a few weeks before, I started with a structure.
 
Here is that structure:
 

 
The simple description of the structure is: "Three converging storylines".
 
Just like with The Summoning Fire's spiral, each line is a primary character viewpoint, with a few, related secondary viewpoints.
 
Can you guess which storyline is Blue's?
 
As I wrote notes about the "Blue character" and how her story arc would go, I fell in love with the name. I resisted at first, then embraced the name. Once I had done that, the name showed me all sorts of ideas that I had not considered before. I can't imagine the character with any other name now.
 
"Red" and "Green", on the other hand, never clicked with me as names. So those became "The Traveler" and "The Tyrant/Savir Agrata", respectively. After all, the sturcture was just an outlining tool. Not a naming tool.
 
Except for Blue.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
Nano – Dots Dots DotsNano PlottingUnderway Again On Another Twisted Path

Gunwitch Editing Complete

 
I'm excited.
 
I'll be creating a Word doc for the full manuscript, and a couple ebook formats tomorrow or the next day. Then I'll send the book to first readers.
 
I read and edited 9 chapters of the book tonight. I didn't expect to do that. Means I'll be watching Top Chef Masters with the wife tomorrow night.
 
But, as I said, I'm excited. To be done editing. To be sending it out (soon).
 
Onward!
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
I Granted My Child's WishTyping "THE END" is Such Sweet SorrowGunwitch Editing Begins

Free Ebook – Nasty, Brutish & Short Short – FREE on Smashwords

 
For a limited time, my collection of horror flash fiction and short short stories, Nasty, Brutish & Short Short is FREE on Smashwords!
 
The Call of the Hunter Moon – Violence is easy. You just let go. Your hands become claws for ripping. Your teeth bare, you snap, you grab, you tear. You smell the fear, savor the screams, taste the blood…
 
Tucker – When I arrived, the boy stood there surveying the chaos he had wrought, gloating over it all–except for her. He wouldn't look at her. She knelt by the body she had once inhabited, her physical face now unrecognizable in the gore…
 
Crowfeeder – At our arrival, the closest of the black carrion birds startled. A ripple like a wave in a black ocean flowed across the field as the birds flapped into the air, reconsidered once they saw how few we were, and settled back to continue gorging…
 
And 10 more!
 
Click here to grab your copy of NASTY, BRUTISH & SHORT SHORT from Smashwords!
 
Related Posts:
Nasty, Brutish & Short Short – Now AvailableThe Origin of Nasty, Brutish & Short ShortThe Call of the Hunter Moon

Nasty, Brutish & Short Short – FREE on Smashwords

 
For a limited time, my collection of horror flash fiction and short short stories, Nasty, Brutish & Short Short is FREE on Smashwords!
 
The Call of the Hunter Moon – Violence is easy. You just let go. Your hands become claws for ripping. Your teeth bare, you snap, you grab, you tear. You smell the fear, savor the screams, taste the blood…
 
Tucker – When I arrived, the boy stood there surveying the chaos he had wrought, gloating over it all–except for her. He wouldn't look at her. She knelt by the body she had once inhabited, her physical face now unrecognizable in the gore…
 
Crowfeeder – At our arrival, the closest of the black carrion birds startled. A ripple like a wave in a black ocean flowed across the field as the birds flapped into the air, reconsidered once they saw how few we were, and settled back to continue gorging…
 
And 10 more!
 
Click here to grab your copy of NASTY, BRUTISH & SHORT SHORT from Smashwords!
 
Related Posts:
Nasty, Brutish & Short Short – Now AvailableThe Origin of Nasty, Brutish & Short ShortThe Call of the Hunter Moon

It Was a Fun Streak

 
Today, after 97 new words of writing, I decided Sigils was broke.
 
I think I had begun to see the first cracks last week, maybe even the week before, but I kept pushing forward. Today, though, I realized what was wrong: Passivity.
 
One of the two main characters was too passive. She had no goals. She was just reacting. There wasn't anything she wanted with sufficient yumph to drive her half of the story.
 
A friend asked me how I hadn't spotted that problem in the outline phase. My response was that in the shorter form of the outline, the passivity didn't stand out. You pile nearly 15K words on a passive viewpoint, though, and it becomes quite obvious.
 
Another reason, I think, is that I built this story back in 2005. I've learned a lot about storytelling since then, and how I tell stories has evolved considerably, but when I went over the outline again, just before starting to write, I was still "too close" to the story to properly assess it.
 
Plus, I think if I was going to write this story, I should've written it back then. Six years is a long time, even when you're over 30. A lot changes in six years (e.g., I'm "over 40″ now). I'm not the same person I was when I first hammered out that outline. Some stories might be "always good", but I think this one had a write-by date that's already passed.
 
Finally, while I'm being critical of my own story and outline and writing, there were other problems that were showing up. The magic was neither compelling nor feeling integral. There was no sense of how the magic worked. The two main characters and the villian were all feeling flat. The lust for power wasn't coming through at all. Even the violence and brutality were lacking (even after two bodies). In short: I wasn't buying my own story.
 
That's not a good sign.
 
So I've pulled the plug on Sigils. Sigils goes back on the shelf to await eventual fixing or perpetual dust gathering. Maybe I'll pick it up again some day and see if I can fix it. Or maybe not. I'm OK either way.
 
Since 2002 I have finished two nonfiction books and five novels and dozens of short stories. In that time I've only abandoned two novels, including this one. Coincidentally, I abandoned both for the same reason: main character passivity. I think a character can be passive at the beginning of a novel or story, but he should develop a driving goal real soon after the story begins. Obviously, I should make a point of avoiding this pitfall in the future. Learn from my mistakes, that sort of thing.
 
Just to mention it: I also abandoned both novels at about the 30,000-word mark. For some reason, that doesn't seem like too much of a waste. 30,000 words seems like a good point at which to assess the viability of the novel. That's about where I give up on most novels that I decide to not finish reading, as well. Go figure.
 
This afternoon I started brainstorming new novel ideas. My plan is to do that the rest of this week, with the goal of hammering out about 5-10 new outlines or at least long summaries. Once I've done that, I'll pick one of the outlines and start writing again.
 
So, counting today's paltry production, my writing streak went 56 days. That will be the new record to beat. Starting in about a week.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
Sigils Update and Existential Artist Personality Bullsh*tWalking the PathWriting Short Stories Considered Useful

Now Available – Brain Freeze & Other Stories

 
Brain Freeze & Other Stories – A collection of eight Speculative Fiction and Slipstream stories by David Michael, with illustrations by Don Michael, Jr.
 
"Brain Freeze" – Crouched on all fours, eye nubs just over the edge of the curb, Boollf's ear bones vibrated with the sound of the low churning, the sirens's song, the goal of tonight's mission…
 
"Callisto" – She came out of the hut and the butt end of a spear hit her in the face. She had only an instant to see the two men, strangers, one of them holding her boys, pinning the boys's arms…
 
"Indian Summer" – Anna, hurting from the death of her best friend, isn't ready to give up the gray gloom of autumn for the sunshine of Indian summer. But maybe more than just the sun has come back to her.
 
"Constellation" – The Great Bear looks down on the world and sees a woman, a mother like herself, whose children have been taken from her.
 
"The Perfect Hiding Place" – The house next door has been sold and the new neighbors are moving in. Do you think they're religious? They seem to have a lot of kids. Do you think they're hiding something? They look ethnic. Do you think they might be worth robbing? No, obviously, they can't be *monkeys*…
 
"Selene" – Her village is burned, her beloved husband is dead. Only she can save her sons. The Moon bears silent witness as she runs through the night and the storm to reclaim what remains of her life.
 
"Nostalgia" – Two yellowing Polaroids, snapshots of a little girl at the fair. Two different childhoods separated by the death of her father. One childhood she can't remember, ruined by the one she wants to forget. When her boyfriend's "birthday surprise" turns out to be a date at the same fair, Sharon finds herself face to face with both.
 
"Evanescent" – She's the girl you meet every year for the first time. She has red-gold hair, sky-blue eyes, and just a splash of freckles across her cheeks. She's as young as you are, or as old. She dances in the rain and splashes in the puddles. She jumps in the leaves and spins with the wind. She steps out of the fog to smile at you, then disappears before you can ask her name…
 




Brain Freeze & Other Stories Edition


Price




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$2.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$2.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$2.99




 
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Evanescent"Now Available – "The Perfect Hiding Place"Now Available – THE DOOR TO THE SKY

Writing Progress Report

 
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, May 9, 2011.
 








Writing Project


Words




Monday


Sigils
Created "Effie Two-Five" ebook doc for KDP, SW, & PubIt.
Created "Secondhand Coffin" ebook doc for KDP, SW, & PubIt.


1004




Tuesday


Sigils
Edited Gunwitch chapter 2.
Created base ebook doc for Brain Freeze.


244




Wednesday


Sigils


783




Thursday


Sigils
Edited Gunwitch chapter 3, 4.
Created BF&OS ebook doc for KDP, SW, PubIt.


575




Friday


Sigils
Edited Gunwitch chapter 5.


523




Saturday


Sigils
Edited Gunwitch chapter 6, 7.


526




Sunday


Sigils


323














Total



3978




YTD Total: 134341 (659 words behind)
Current streak: 55 days
 








Publishing/Marketing




Monday


Added "Curtain Call" and "Insanity" to short story promo thread on KB, NB, and MR.
Uploaded "Effie Two-Five" to KDP, PubIt, & SW.
Uploaded "Secondhand Coffin" to KDP, SW, & PubIt.




Tuesday





Wednesday


Announced "Secondhand Coffin" to blog & FB & 4CL.




Thursday


Announced "Effie Two-Five" to blog, FB, 4CL.
Uploaded BF&OS to KDP, PubIt, SW.




Friday


Created catalog page for TSF on 4CL.




Saturday





Sunday





 
Reading List

The New Yorker (Kindle edition) 16 May 2011

 
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Secondhand Coffin"Now Available – "Effie Two-Five"Now Available – "Insanity"

Sigils Update and Existential Artist Personality Bullsh*t

 
I'm just over 26,000 words into Sigils, which means I haven't quite averaged 1000 words/day on it. Which is slower than I wanted or expected.
 
I'm not sure if I'm losing faith in the story, or just need to write something else. Or maybe I need a short break from writing.
 
If I'm losing faith in the story, is that because the story isn't making sense anymore? Or is it just that the story is proving harder to write than anticipated? If the story isn't making sense, there's probably a way to fix it. If it's just harder to write than I expected, I should just suck it up and keep going. Learn something, maybe.
 
If I need a break to work on something else for a bit, how long is a "bit"? And what should I work on? Another novel-length project? Or something shorter? Would doing something else provide perspective on Sigils? Or kill it? I've come back to projects before (it took me 18 months to write the last two chapters of The Girl Who Ran With Horses; it took me 3 years to get back to Gunwitch, but for a completely different reason). I prefer to work on something from start to finish, though. I can be a bit OCD about that.
 
If I need a break from writing … well, I have other work I can focus on. I'm 54 days into my current writing streak, though. My longest ever. I would hate to end that (and then have to start over again). I went straight from "The End" of GoSH1 into Sigils, starting Sigils the next day. I usually give myself more time off between projects than that, but that doesn't mean I have to. And, as is obvious from looking at my daily writing production, it's not as if I'm working myself too hard.
 
It's probably all true: I'm losing faith in the story. I'd love to work on something else. And I need a break.
 
But the caveat to all of those is the same: but not that much.
 
I'm losing faith in the story, sure, but not that much. I'm sure I can fix whatever is wrong. And it's possible there's nothing wrong at all. It's probably just normal artist personality bullshit, anyway.
 
I'd love to work on something else, absolutely, but not that much. I want Sigils done as much as I want anything else done.
 
I need a break–who doesn't?–but, no, not that much.
 
So, odds are, I'll still be working on Sigils tomorrow. And the day after that. On until THE END.
 
Write it, don't fight it, I like to say.
 
Or, as my brother Don has said: Paint it, even if it ain't it.
 
One of those, I'm sure, holds the key.
 
Have a great weekend!
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
April WrapupA Sigils Progress ReportA Milestone

Now Available – "Effie Two-Five"

 
"Effie Two-Five" – A new science fiction short story by David Michael!
 
Make a wish. Brace for impact. Find a vein and take a hit of the new–and highly illegal–wonder drug with the street name "Effie Two-Five", and your dreams will come true. You can be faster. Stronger. Anything you want to be–even a porno superhero. But be careful. Effie two-five has a serious learning curve. And you should have a lot of munchies handy. (8300 word short story).
 




"Effie Two-Five" Edition


Price




Kindle edition (Amazon)


$.99




Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)


$.99




Ebook (Smashwords)


$.99




 
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "The Perfect Hiding Place"Now Available – "A Fine Mess"

I Granted My Child's Wish

 
My daughter is now about halfway through reading an unedited printout of GoSH1. I'm printing out the next set of chapters. She'll have read the whole book before the end of the day, I have no doubt.
 
I've been telling her she had to wait until after I finished editing Gunwitch, and then edited GoSH1. Today, though, I decided it couldn't hurt to let her read it as is. Also, I expect I'll get some useful feedback.
 
Further, since she will re-read the book after I edit it (if she likes it, she'll probably read it again *before* I edit it), maybe she'll learn something useful about the process of writing. Seeing the "before editing" and the "after editing" versions, and, eventually, the "final", is an inside look on the process of writing and publishing that she's never been exposed to.
 
She's been very excited about the book ever since I told her I was writing it. She has even sketched some outfits for one of the girls in the story. I'm looking forward to more sketches of all three girls in the near future. And, of course, the pet rat. (Yes, I knew the pet rat was going to be a big hit with her. I had insider information when plotting the story.)
 
Anyway, once she's finished GoSH1, I expect she'll start leaning on me to write GoSH2. Which might make that happen sooner than I expected, as well. Because, yeah, I'm a sucker for my little girl.
 
-David
 
Related Posts:
Typing "THE END" is Such Sweet SorrowI Want to Create HeroinesGunwitch Editing Begins