Rick Cook Jr.'s Blog, page 2

Breaking the Author – Hiatus

It’s the 19th week of the year and normally I’d be making a weekly update post, but I have been traveling, and visiting friends and family, and it has been difficult getting anything done.

So I am giving myself the day off! Normal posts resume Tuesday.

Until then, give yourself a day of rest, too

Writing While Traveling

It’s Thursday and I’m traveling today, so I thought I would talk about how to get your work done while riding around. It’s a valid question for public transit commuters as well, managing to utilize your ride time for productivity.

I don’t have a lot of time for this kind of thing, but I have a phone and tablet capable of typing, and while it isn’t ideal, it serves in a pinch. The important part is to remember that you can’t let yourself be distracted while you are riding. As you can imagine t...

The Wings Take Shape – Part Fourteen

Part Fourteen of the serial novella The Wings Take Shape is coming at you!

If you’re new to the story, head to Part One and start from the beginning!

Last time onWings, Stalker and Jon held counsel with Sadie and Renee, learning the truth of the Skinchangers and the enslaved Totems that made them possible. The cadshee had been a product of the Totems, animal spirit gods of the forest, and he enslaved them with their own power, infusing their spirits into the humans that would create the line...

Breaking the Author – Week Eighteen

It’s May 8th,2016. Let’s talk about goals and things!

My goals for Second Quarter of 2016 (April-June) are as follows:

Finish Shapes 1 Editing and Self-Publish It Finish Writing Game Year 1 Editing and Release It For Free Finish Writing Game Year 2 Finish Shapes 2 Writing Plot Shapes 3 for Third Quarter Posting Write Four Short Stories Submit Three Short Stories Finish Gridfall Editing and Begin Submitting to Agents Maintain the blog

Here’s the brief accomplishments toward these goals:

Sha...

Writers Don’t Just Read, They Examine

One of the most common “tips” you are likely to hear for writers is that you have to read. And read a lot. Read in your genre. Read out of your genre. Read everything.

I completely agree with this and it’s going to be somewhat my focus for this post.

If you want to be a filmmaker, you should be a fan of film. If you want to make sculptures, you should know about sculpting. If you want to be a coder, you need to know coding languages.

If you want to be a writer, you have to read similar writin...

The Wings Take Shape – Part Thirteen

It’s time to slow down a little bit with The Wings Take Shape and drop some info on you all. The weekly serial novella is coming to a turning point today, and the mad dash to the end will begin next week!

If you’re new to the story, head to Part One and start from the beginning!

Last week onWings,Stalker and Jon fought for dominance inside Jon’s Skinchanger body. He lost and Stalker faced off against what she considered the abomination that betrayed her and the other Totems. Sadie inherited t...

Breaking the Author – Week Seventeen

It’s May 1st,2016. Firstfour months down!

My goals for Second Quarter of 2016 (April-June) are as follows:

Finish Shapes 1 Editing and Self-Publish It Finish Writing Game Year 1 Editing and Release It For Free Finish Writing Game Year 2 Finish Shapes 2 Writing Plot Shapes 3 for Third Quarter Posting Write Four Short Stories Submit Three Short Stories Finish Gridfall Editing and Begin Submitting to Agents Maintain the blog

So a quick rundown of what I accomplished towards these goals:

Shap...

Media Medley – April 2016

It’s the end of April and it’s time for the rundown of my favorite things from the past month!

Let’s right to it with:

Movie

I watched a grand total of two movies, and one of them was because I realized I didn’t want to call the piece of shit I watched earlier in the month my favorite. The piece of shit was 400 Days and I don’t want to talk about how boring and nonsensical the entire venture was.

So instead I’m gonna talk about Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Part One – Beginnings. That’s a big,...

The Wings Take Shape – Part Twelve

A fight is a-brewing today on the continuation of The Wings Take Shape, Part Twelve!

If you’re new to the story, head to Part One and start from the beginning!

Previously onWings, Jonathan tried to skinchange back into his human form, but Stalker, the cougar, refused to let him change once she found out that his Aunt Sadie was the abomination that had betrayed her and the other Totems so long ago, vowing to end the abomination’s life once and for all.

Meanwhile, Renee and Marie argued with Sa...

Breaking the Author – Week Sixteen

It’s April 24th, 2016.Sixteen weeks and one left in April, let’s do that update thing again!

My goals for Second Quarter of 2016 (April-June) are as follows:

Finish Shapes 1 Editing and Self-Publish It Finish Writing Game Year 1 Editing and Release It For Free Finish Writing Game Year 2 Finish Shapes 2 Writing Plot Shapes 3 for Third Quarter Posting Write Four Short Stories Submit Three Short Stories Finish Gridfall Editing and Begin Submitting to Agents Maintain the blog

So a quick rundown...