C.M. Simpson's Blog, page 146

Pokemon Go: Pokedex Monster #112

Yeah, I know. It's not writing, but I figured you could do with a break from that. Apologies for not remembering to take a picture in the Augmented Reality mode, but here's a shot from the Pokeball. It's a mankey. First and only one I've ever seen, found down at the Kaleen Shopping Centre in Canberra, yesterday at around 08:10 - and #112.

I won't bore you with pictures of the 111 that came before - well, not today, at least, but, seeing as new ones are becoming few and far between, I'll introduce them as I see them - and let you know if they were caught or not.

Write Fitness: Ingress Walking – ANZAC Prd and AWM Banner

 ANZAC Prd and AWM Banner
Yesterday, I posted about using real-world locations in writing, and that reminded me, of a walk I did for Ingris, way back in October last year, where I photographed many of the statues I referred to in Shades of Memory. The walk was a 12-part series of missions that formed a picture of the Australian War Memorial. It was an 8 km walk up ANZAC Parade and around the War Memorial gardens. These are beautiful places to visit, to reflect on and to remember our past, and I couldn’t have asked for better surroundings to improve my fitness.
The walk begins at the bottom of Anzac Parade, so I caught a 200-series bus from the city interchange, which travels down Constitution Avenue, and got off the stop before Anzac Parade, which puts you on the same side as the first portal. The mission series badges and banner are below, as are some photographs of this beautiful area.
The mission series was designed by Enlightened agent, MT81, and is called ‘ANZAC Prd and AWM’.
Here are most of the portals in order of completion:
ANZAC Prd and AWM 1/12

 Australian New Zealand War Memorial (East)

Australian New Zealand War Memorial (East)Not a separate portal, but interesting, just the same.
 Saint John's Church Lych Gate

On approach to the Deserted Mounted Corps Memorial
ANZAC Prd and AWM 2/12

The Vietnam War Memorial (on departure)

The Korean War Memorial

The Australian Army National Memorial(after the Royal Australian Engineers and 9th Australian Field Ambulance memorials)

The Australian Hellenic Memorial(also the starting point for the third mission in this series).
ANZAC Prd and AWM 3/12
The Lone Pine Memorial.
The Sandakan Memorial
It looks like I missed five other portals for this section including a plaque fir 18 Squadron.
ANZAC Prd and AWM 4/12

The Lone Pine Memorial 

Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial (behind this stand of trees).
And there were several others, which I completely forgot to photograph... I obviously need more practice at this. The other memorials in this mission include: 2/3 Tank Regiment, the entrance to the War Memorial, Tarin Kot, and the 2/5 Australian Infantry Battalion plaque.

ANZAC Prd and AWM 5/12

The Australian Servicemen Memorial (after the memorials for Australian Voices, and  the RAAF Beaufort Units).

This is the Defence Families Bench. (It is after the Women's Memorial.)

And here is the plaque.
ANZAC Prd and AWM 6/12

The barrel from the gun from Amiens.

A display celebrating Patriotism.

The Australian Merchant Seamen Survivors Memorial
The Animals at War Memorial  ANZAC Prd and AWM 7/12
  The Centurion Tank.
Other memorials in this mission included the HMAS Brisbane gun and bridge, a memorial to Armistice Day, the entry to a memorial park, and a Lancaster Bomber.

ANZAC Prd and AWM 8/12


The Remembrance Driveway runs all the way to Sydney.

There's even a mission for it.
Other plaques and memorials for this mission included plaques for: the 2/15 Field Regiment, 88 Squadron, and the RAAF Beaufighter Squadron. There was also a propeller from HMAS Australia.

ANZAC Prd and AWM 9/12

Memorials for this mission included plaques for: 9th Squadron, 6th Battalion and 7th Battalion, as well as the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru , and the National Service memorials and this gentleman:

Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop

ANZAC Prd and AWM 10/12

Anzac Parade from the Australian War Memorial (a popular photographic spot)

The commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial

The Remembrance Stone.
Other portals in the mission included: the beginning of the Remembrance Driveway, the John Simpson Kirkpatrick Memorial, and the Australian War Memorial itself.
ANZAC Prd and AWM 11/12

The Kemal Ataturk Memorial.
The Ataturk Memorial Gardens.
The Royal Australian Navy Memorial.
Other portals in this mission included: the Pinus Halepensis, Australian Merchant Seamen World War I and the 9th Australian Field Ambulance memorials.
ANZAC Prd and AWM 12/12

The Australian Nurses Memorial

The Royal Australian Air Force Memorial

The Rats of Tobruk Memorial

The Australian New Zealand Memorial (west).
Other portals on this mission included: the HMAS Australia Memorial and the Anzac Parade illumination.
And then I walked around the corner and caught a bus back to the city. This was a brilliant walk, gentle on all but the heart.

Mission Series Complete:













 

Ingress Fitness - Today's Badge: Sojourner's Black

So, after 360 days of going out every day, twice a day, to hack a portal, I finally gained my Soujourner's Black medal. I know, not exciting, right?

I find it exciting, because, now, when I go out, instead of working towards the medal, I can go out for fun. The pressure is off. If I miss a day, it doesn't matter, but I probably won't miss a day, because working towards the Sojourner's medal made me realise a few things:

It helped me establish a habit of going for a walk, however short, in both the morning and the evening. This is important for my health, and my fitness, and for clearing my head. I didn't realise that before.I need to maintain my fitness - it's logical, right? But it's so easy to make excuses not to go out. It's too hot. It's too cold. I'm too busy. I've got a lot on my plate. It's raining. I don't feel well. Blah blah bah. Working towards Sojourners made me understand that I can vary the times of day for walking - go early in summer, later in winter, put a rain coat on and stuff my phone into a sandwich bag to protect it while hacking, Take public transport and hack on the way to and from school and work. There's pretty much a solution for every excuse - except the last one. Being sick? That's probably a day to stay in bed, even if you can walk the hundred metres to the nearest portal without falling over. However, 360 days, and I know I feel better for a daily walk.Fitness can be fitted into pretty much any daily routine.By having a purpose, you can walk longer distances. It's better to set a destination and walk to it, and maybe have options for extending the distance if you feel up to, than to head out with just a total time needed for walking in mind. You can use Ingress for this, and either choose a mission to do, or just walk a series of portals, or you can have a real-world goal, walking to the library, getting off a stop earlier or parking further away and walking to work, these all help.Sometimes, you need to choose a stretch of ground that doesn't have a portal for a couple of kilometres - especially as your fitness builds - because longer stretches of walking are better for you than the constant stop-start that often comes with ingressing. This, of course, has the added advantage of adding kilometres to your Trekker's badge... or you can hatch a pokemon egg... or you can just enjoy the scenery - the point is not to stop.Anyway, practicalities aside - I GOT MY SOJOURNER'S BLACK - and I'm pretty happy with that.
 

Writing Life: Incorporating Real-World Locations into your Story

In early December, I finished writing Shades of Memory. It’s an urban fantasy meets conspiracy theory meets thriller kind of story, set in Canberra, and the first story I’ve written using the real world to contribute to the story as well as the backdrop for the story. To do this, I had to become familiar enough with the locations I wanted to incorporate that they were real to people who knew them, as well as to people who’d never come to visit—and that’s not as easy as it seems.

Needless to say, I learned a few things along the way.
Describing the Location: This is both as easy it sounds, and much harder. There is more to a location than ‘a statue of a horse surrounded by trees’. I mean, that’s a good start, but what kind of horse? What kind of statue? What kind of trees? And then there elements like how the sun affects the appearance of the statue, and the sorts sounds heard by the characters, the smells, and the environment itself.
When describing a location, you have to remember to keep the story at the centre of the description. Each part of the location you bring to your reader has to count. A description that briefly describes the statue and the trees as the characters pass, indicates that the location might be important later. Why? If the main character catches a glimpse of a stranger standing beside the statue, and then later encounters ‘the man from the statue’, and the ‘man from the statue is important to the story, but the statue is not, then an accurate, but brief, description is all that is needed.
If, however, the statues are located in a search area, or contain clues, then you may need to spend more time on them, and make sure your description is accurate enough that those familiar with the statue and location aren’t pulled out of the story by blatant inaccuracies. In other words, if you’re not sure the statue has a feature you wish to highlight, either check the location, or photographs of the location, and make sure that the feature exists. If it doesn’t, and you really want it to be there, make up a plausible reason why it is there and acknowledge its addition. Readers will be tolerant of changes made in the story world, as long as they know they are deliberate changes and not a lack of authorial care.
Locations are also important for adding atmosphere to the story. Don’t just give a bland description of a ‘bronze statue of two infantrymen on patrol’. Use the description to add something to your story. Is there a reason the character should be feeling uneasy? Breathe some uneasiness into the picture while giving your description.
In the example below, I describe the character in Shades of Memory visiting the Australian Army National Memorial. First is a brief description of what she is seeing, followed by a slow introduction of unease.
Walking along the footpath, Agatha came to the next memorial. Seven pillars of white brick, curved behind a raised cement dais paved in grey and red. In the centre of the pillars, looking as though they had just emerged from between them, stood two Australian soldiers. At around three metres tall, and made of dulled out bronze, the pair looked like they were still on patrol.
The wary expressions etched on their faces, and the careful way in which they carried their rifles made it seem as though they were expecting trouble. Agatha wondered what it would be like to come across them when the sun was shining, instead of on a day when the clouds hung low and her thoughts turned gloomy at the slightest provocation.
Suggesting the soldiers were “still on patrol” gives an indication of possible danger. Use of the words “wary”, “careful”, and the idea that the soldiers are “expecting trouble” heightens the awareness that something might be wrong.
Don’t forget that there is more to the world you are describing than just the feature you are describing. Don’t forget that the day has weather, and use it. The main catch with doing this is that you have to remember what kind of day you’ve set up, and keep the weather consistent, or change the weather in a natural way. In the scene above, it is a typical overcast Canberra day, and this affects how the statues make the character feel. It is also used to highlight how the character feels.
So remember, locations can bring your story to life, or they can drag. You need to use them to advance the story, and make sure that the story, and not the location, remains paramount. Sight, scent, sound and feel, are all important ways of advancing your tale, building atmosphere, and preparing the reader for the next piece of action. An accurate description of the location is important, but describing every minute detail may not be.

Writing Life: The Publishing

If you are going to go independent, then you need to make a few decisions. It’s not just about where you want to release your work, but also when, and in what formats. My advice is simple:

Publish as widely as possible.Distribute as widely as possible.Follow the instructions on each platform carefully.Be aware of where each platform distributes your work—you don’t want duplication in your distribution. It leads to confusion. I keep a spreadsheet for this, and I upload directly wherever possible. OmniLit, for instance, is self-contained, apart from its sister-site AllRomance, but Smashwords distributes widely. Smashwords has an opt-out button for each distributor, for each title, and you’re best to opt-out when you set up a title for publication.Do not agree to exclusivity for any platform, as it limits the readers your work can reach.Publish in as many formats as you are comfortable with. These include: e-book forms (PDF, .mobi, .prc to name a few); print forms (CreateSpace sells through Amazon as well as on its own site); and audioforms (Amazon has an audio platform, too).

And GOOD LUCK

New Cover for The Medusa's Starman

My science fiction-fantasy short story, The Medusa's Starman, has now been assigned a cover, and uploaded for pre-order. It will be available on March 3, 2017.


When the battlespike Oliver is flying is hit as he seeks shelter in the warp, life as he knows it ends. On the other side of the warp waits a new world, a new life, and whole new set of dangers, and Oliver is going to have to pick things up fast, if he is to survive. Will the lady from the caves be his salvation, or will she finish what the crash began?

New Cover: Banquet at Magic Mountain

A new cover for my science fiction short story, Banquet at Magic Mountain, has been approved. And here it is:



I hate camp. Every year yada yada yada. The only bright point is Luka, the Wild Man of Camp Mellinjo, an orphan and a stray grown up. When he bolts out of camp with the ook on his tail, I take off to see if I can save him, yet again—and that’s when I discover Camp Melinjo isn’t what it seems, and neither is Luka. But seriously, guys, would my parents really sell me out?

Releases from Week 1 January 2017

Last week, I created four covers, released one short story, and put three other short stories up for pre-release ordering. It was pretty busy, and not a lot of writing got done, but if you don't publish what you write, you'll never find your readers. These are the stories now available for order, or download:

Available Now:



When Melange feels the pull of utter dread emanating from a road train parked at a rest stop near her home, she investigates. She had no intention of being trapped in the cab on the driver’s unexpected return, nor of being stuck in the truck when he is murdered during the first delivery. But she can’t stay there. She’s discovered the prisoners that were the source of the dread, and the trolls are coming to take them away. With time running short, she must find a way to avoid capture, and summon help, and that means getting past the troll and humans standing guard.
Available for Pre-Order; Release Date: January 21, 2017:



It was meant to be a surprise for Allan’s farewell, but the only person who got surprised was me. And the only farewell I was lookin’ at was my own, which just shows it’s never a good idea to look too closely at your heroes—even when you’re asked to, because now I’m gonna need a little help. and I don't know if it'll come in time.
Available for Pre-Order; Release Date: February 4, 2017:




I grew up with the White Pinnacle always on my horizon. It was the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing I saw at night. Was it connected to me not being allowed to go to sea like the rest of my siblings, and why my father refused to tell me why? The night my sister’s ship capsized, was a night of revelations, but the price… my sister… Was it something I was strong enough to bear?
Available for Pre-Order; Release Date: November 3, 2017:



So, we’ve done this job, and I’m checking our tails are clear, and I find they’re not—and then I find the only way to kick clear is to find the Cloud Door. Only trouble is the Cloud Door’s a legend, and Mack? Well, he’s not too fond of chasing legends. Fortunately, this one’s a no-brainer: we want to live, and that’s got to be enough to make anyone chase a legend, right?

Writing Life: The Editing

I have over twenty years of editing—yes, many of those were for pay, and not just recognition—under my belt. I’ve worked mostly in roleplaying, and for small publishing companies, but have also exchanged edits with other writers. I have degrees in literature, writing and editing, and I’ve been an English teacher on top of that.
However, I prefer to have someone else look over my work before I go to publish it. This is important, because they will pick up things you miss, point out story inconsistencies, and sometimes suggest a comma, or spot a spelling error. All things you are likely to miss on your final draft.
Find a beta reader. Better yet, find two, or, if you can afford one, a professional editor. And listen to them. That was ‘listen’; you should still use your own judgement on accepting their suggestions and corrections, because you are still the one responsibility for the finished condition of your work.
There are times, however, when your beta readers aren’t available, when you can’t afford an editor, and when you feel tempted to edit on your own. Those are to be avoided, but, if you insist, then there are some ways to avoid the page-blindness authors suffer:

Set your finished project aside and don’t look at it for a minimum of four weeks—and six is better;Work on something else during this time, preferably something different. This gets the project out of your head to a large degree meaning you come back to it in a more detached state;Save the project as draft. When you open it to do the first edit, save it as Title-Edit1, or something similar. This means you have a copy of the original finished work in case something goes wrong. Turn on Track Changes, and begin your edit.When you’re done, leave it a day and do some writing on whatever your current project is. Do a second edit the next day.I find it helpful to produce a print version in CreateSpace, since that program has a layout for checking how your finished book will look, and you can check through it in that format, going back to the CreateSpace document you’ve created to correct errors as you find them. I do this until I can’t find any more.Split the editing up with writing. Do not stop writing during this process. Keep a fresh document open for ideas that crop up, or a notepad and pen, if that works better for you. It’s amazing what will pop into your head when you’re supposed to be editing.When you’re happy that you have produced the cleanest manuscript possible, copy it all and paste it into a text document, before copying the text document and pasting it into a clean Word document. This removes an underlying errors that could ruin your uploaded document.Go through the clean document, formatting it, and keeping an eye out for more edits that you might have missed.If you find none, you can probably progress safely to the publishing stage.

NOTE: I do not recommend this. I strongly recommend you have an editor. If you can’t afford one, at least one beta reader, if not two or three look over the document after you’ve made at least three editing passes. Don’t have them do this at the same time; have them do it one after the other, making any necessary changes in between. After that, work through your publishing process, keeping an eye out for any edits that might have been missed.
And GOOD LUCK

First Cover of the Year - Cloud Door

The first cover of the year is one for a short story to be released November 3, 2017. It's a science fiction story set in the universe of Mack and Me, which may or may not yet be connected to the universe of Miss Delight and Odyssey.




So, we’ve done this job, and I’m checking our tails are clear, and I find they’re not—and then I find the only way to kick clear is to find the Cloud Door. Only trouble is the Cloud Door’s a legend, and Mack? Well, he’s not too fond of chasing legends. Fortunately, this one’s a no-brainer: we want to live, and that’s got to be enough to make anyone chase a legend, right?