Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 27

2020 DeadbyCon in Edmonton

First convention of 2020, I will be at Edmonton’s horror convention, Dead by Con.



When and Where?

March 14/15
Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre
4235 Gateway Boulevard NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 6S7, Canada
Edmonton
Alberta

Guests and the Event

Learn about all the guests and the event itself at the DEADbyCON website: deadbycon.ca  

Grab Tickets Today!

The post 2020 DeadbyCon in Edmonton appeared first on Konn Lavery.

A Year with Dictation for Writing

From the beginning of 2019 and up to 2020, I have been using dictation for writing fiction. It is known as speech to text software. The year has not been an easy learning process. Dictation for writing is a steep learning curve. It is also worth it. In this blog post, we are going to look at some of the benefits of speech to text dictation software and I will share some of my personal experience while using it. There are some general do’s and don’ts and a lot of different types of software. If you’re interested in dictation for writing, hopefully, this will get you started.

Types of Dictation Software for Writers

There are plenty of types of software available. Most of our
smartphones have speech to text capabilities already. The level of quality in
the software varies drastically. Same with your gear (we’ll get to that). Now,
I can only speak about the software that I have used in the past. There plenty
more out there. In the end, it depends on your price range.

Microsoft Word Dictate

Believe it or not, Microsoft Word has dictation built into it. Windows introduced a speech to text capability in one of their newer OS releases. Naturally, this translated into Microsoft Word. It isn’t perfect. If you are already working with Microsoft 365, it is ready to explore.

Smartphone Native Speech to Text

If you’re in a pinch, using your smartphone is a good method
to throw your ideas out there. I find it is not nearly as accurate as some of
the desktop-based software. Plus, a lot of the time, you’re using the
microphone built into your phone unless you get something specific for your smartphone.

Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Most likely, wherever you go online, you will hear authors talk about Dragon dictation. It is one of the most powerful speech to text software out there. They have been around since the 90s and have been perfecting the software for a long time. They have a range of prices for their different software. Each one has more features, the higher the price. Dragon Professional Individual has additional features that are quite helpful, like converting .WAV files into text. That means you can record on your phone and have dragon convert it to text (better than the smartphone’s native).

What Type of Dictation Software is the Best?

It really depends on your budget. If you’re just starting
out and unsure if this is the direction you want to go, use a free one. Don’t
waste money if you are on a budget and do not know if it is a method that will work
for you. Keep in mind, I spent a year learning how to use speech to text
software for fiction. It is an uphill battle, and I am glad that I was able to
make the transition.

Dictation for Fiction

The writing process varies greatly for each author. I’ve
talked to pansters, plotters, cyclers, and a fusion of them all. There is no
right way to write a book. Chances are your style is going to change over time
too. You may discover new tools, new techniques, or new software that will
change the way you approach a book. The type of novel you are writing can
affect how you approach it as well. I know if I am writing a fallacy with
plenty of world-building, it varies from a thriller.

The interesting thing about talking is that it is always faster
than typing something. It just isn’t humanly possible to type more words than what
you can say. That was the big eye-opener for me when it came to word count and
grinding through the first draft. Plus, I had enough people talk about it
online, and at writing conventions. There had to be something to it.

Now, I’d say my words per hour count has increased at least
50%. Typing, on average, I could do 2,000 words and now I’m at 3,000. Of
course, you have good days and bad days. Sometimes I write less than 3,000, and
sometimes I write closer to 4,000 — nothing to beat yourself up over.

The Challenges of Dictation for Writing

Okay, you’re interested in dictation for writing. Great. It
will force you to get out of your headspace and think differently about your stories.
It is so easy – and enjoyable – to get into that writing trance as you’re typing
away, developing the scene or exploring new dialogue. Dictation is a little bit
different and is a lot of fun.

Speaking Instead of Typing

At first, when you are speaking out loud, you feel goofy. It
is awkward, you stumble along, and the software doesn’t pick up what you are
saying correctly. This can be frustrating. The nice thing about Dragon
NaturallySpeaking specifically is the software learns your speaking patterns,
accent, room acoustics, and fictional words. You can even upload previously
written work, so it understands your writing style as well. I’m not sure about
the others, but if you fix your acoustics, you can come close.

Learning to speak takes time. Syntax is also a tricky thing.
We are programmed to use a keyboard to grab the syntax glyphs that we need.
Speech to text has you say them. To do this, you need to use proper pauses in
your sentences to help the software know when you’re done talking and when you
want a syntax.

If you are going to start speech to text, started on a small
story. Something that you can quickly throw away if it is horrible. Chances are
it will be littered with typos as the software misinterprets what you are
saying. That’s okay. That is how you learn to speak your story in an idea-throwing
manner. The more you do it, you’ll discover a new form of the familiar writing
trance.

Get a Good Microphone

Dictation software works with audio. If you have a bad
microphone, your audio is going to sound terrible, and it will be difficult for
the software to try and transcribe what you are saying into text. If you have a
good microphone, it makes the job much easier. There are plenty of USB-based
microphones that you can plug into your computer. Check out Best Buy for
something. The Yeti Microphones have been well received. I use a condenser
microphone since I also record music. It works nicely as any higher-end USB-based
microphone would.

Acoustics

Noise is a big one. It is incredibly finicky too because we
are not sound engineers. To simplify what I mean, use your microphone in a
quiet room where there are no other distractions. You want to avoid TVs, music,
pets, and other people that you live with.

Sometimes this is difficult to do. Perhaps you don’t have a
separate room. See if you can do your speech to text at a time where there’s no
one else around. You could get up a little earlier and use speech to text, or
go to bed a little later. The less outside noises that are in the room, the
clearer your speech will be. It is the same as the microphone. You want to be
as crisp and clear as possible for the software to convert.

Practicing Dictation

Learning something new is difficult. It is so easy for us to
get stuck in our methods of living and working that we turn off our ability to
process new concepts. We are so quick to shut them down that we end up doing ourselves
a disservice. Believe me, there are times while I was learning dictation that I
would get so frustrated, I would go back to typing. I was faster at it. My
words per hour more consistent, there are fewer errors, and my writing voice came
across better.

However, I didn’t quit. It took me about a good solid four
months of learning to become efficient at. Afterwards, I was able to find a new
flow while writing stories. Then I wrote the drafts for two manuscripts over
the spring and fall. Speech to text became quite helpful while writing weekly blog
posts and, in the end, you end up saving time that you can spend elsewhere.

Enjoy the Writing Process

Dictation ends up being entertaining. At times, you get so
involved with the story that you act out some of the characters’ dialogue. I’ve
raised my voice, spoken deeper, sighed, and so on. Plus, your dialogue comes
across as much more natural because you are speaking.

Your ability to speak as a narrator also improves. The way
you describe scenes and conflict evolves. You begin to act as if you’re giving
a live book reading. It looks ridiculous, but who cares? Typing away never
looked cool anyways. That’s not the point of writing.

Summary About Dictation for Writing

There are plenty of YouTube videos and blog posts and even
books about dictation. Some of them dig deep into particular software, and others
are theoretical. Take a look on Google. This blog post could also be a whole
are longer, but I’m not writing a book. This post’s purpose is to scrape the surface
and share with you some of my experiences with speech to text. It also can
provide some things to consider if you’re looking at going this route.

If you have experience with dictation or have questions,
feel free to share in the comments.

The post A Year with Dictation for Writing appeared first on Konn Lavery.

What Publishing Route

The first month of the year is now almost over! I’ve only
been working for about three weeks since I got back from vacation. I’ll admit,
I haven’t done as much writing as I thought I would have. That is okay because
I’m also going to take it slower and a lot of the writing process is done away
from typing words. At least that’s what I like to tell myself. Maybe I am just
making up excuses. On top of that, thoughts are floating around about what do I
publish next, and what publishing route do I take?

Welcome to Another Unprocessed Thoughts

You can go a bit crazy trying to articulate and plan where
you are going to go in the next year, five years, hell even 10 years. I tend to
overthink it, especially when it comes to what publishing route to take. The
funny thing that is when life throws something at you that you don’t expect,
and that planning doesn’t matter anyways.

Regarding publishing though, there are so many ways to distribute
in today’s literary industry, and it is changing as we speak. Technology has
thrown the distribution game upside down. As exciting as it is, it can leave
you a bit frazzled.

It was timely for me to be on the Edmowrimo panel “So Now What?” With Natasha Deen and Susie Moloney earlier this week. We chatted about what to do with your manuscript and the different roads you can take. My fellow two panellist had inside that I found useful for myself. You can learn from every moment of life, even if you are the one also giving advice. You just have to listen.

Ultimately, it’s up to you on how you want your story to be
shared. There is no wrong in holding your manuscript back and looking for a
publisher or agent. It can be a long game, but lots of opportunity. Self
publishing is incredibly rewarding as well. It just requires a ton of work
because you are the publisher.

I’ve talked about my three manuscripts near the end of 2019,
yet they still haven’t left my mind.

Some Writing

Getting into the swing of things again has been a bit
difficult. I was enjoying doing nothing on vacation, and it gave me a lot to
think about. One would be the concept of working too much and not putting time
in the right parts of life. This goes back to what I have preached before: work
smart, not hard. It is more difficult to do than say. You can easily find
yourself trapped in the mindset of “I have to get this done” and you just start
powering through the work. It is only upon reflection that you realise that you’re
not powering through the work, but just working a lot.

So, I’ve been finding ways to make my life easier. As we had
talked about on the panel, we are still people and we can work all the time to
crank out the next book. You will ultimately neglect something else in your
life. That’s why I haven’t gone with guns blazing in writing this month. I have
done some, as seen in this months short story, Panpsychism, and
a few social media updates about the next Rutherford Manor novel: Fire, Pain,
& Ruin. I’ve even cracked open into Mental Damnation IV to see what the
hell that book was about again.

Taking Life Slow

The nice thing about slowing down is it gives you more time
to think clearly about what really matters. Spending time with loved ones is
important as we’ve all heard million times, but it is true. Also, taking life
slower can help you understand what publishing route to go. If you want to go
research online to see the different ways people are distributing the stories,
you would be amazed.

Part of the fun for my writing career is taking a few risks
here and there. I’ve done it with just about every release to date. I think
they paid off. Some have been more successful than others but have served as
learning lessons. Another cliché: life is a journey. I’m full of them today.

Various Forms of Distribution

I have been exploring a new platform on writing, Wattpad. It has been around
for awhile, and I tried it a couple years ago. I didn’t give it the proper
investment needed to be grown. Like all social platforms, you have to interact
with people within the constrictions of that interface. There are a lot of
ongoing short stories and series on Wattpad. The site is a refreshing approach
to social media which is often all too littered with posts, hashtags, and picture-perfect
Instagram shots.

I’ve also realised I have been blogging since 2015, and
there’s a lot of quality content on this blog. The newsletter is also about
that old. I’ve had time this month to reflect upon the blog and newsletter. If
you’ve noticed on social media, I been reposting some of the older blog posts
that have value in case anyone has missed them. For the newsletter, I’ve
expanded some of the features that it can have such as offering Mental Damnation
Reality for free. The fourth book is around the corner, I can’t wait to get out
to you all. Offering book one for free is a thanks to all of the support.

Beer Note: Sandy Beach American Pale Ale

Sandy Beach American Pale Ale is proudly made in Edmonton, Alberta. It has a 4.5% alcohol level and overall is a light IPA to have. Now, I would have been all over this a few years ago when my tastes were more in favour of the hoppy side of beer. Upon drinking this, I realize that as the years go by, tastes evolve, and I am no special exception. Sandy Beach has made a satisfying beer. If you enjoy IPA’s, this is for you. With the bizarre mutation of my taste, I would just have one of these. So in a way, Sandy Beach’s IPA has had the power to make me realise that I am a changed man.

The post What Publishing Route appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Panpsychism

The end of the world is here. The Galactic Believers have
initiated the absorption into ABE – the All-Knowing Being. The planet and all
life will be brought into the next phase of existence, as one in the Galactic
Array. Yet, the depths of the universe are more complex than such a simple
solution.

Panpsychism is January’s flash fiction that brings readers into a cosmic horror standalone sequel of ABE. Enjoy the story in written word, audio, artwork and soundscape.

—–

Panpsychism









Big Questions

Conspiracy theories are fun. People believe some of the
wildest things, which makes it so easy for the rest of us to write them off as
crack-monkeys. Conspiracists’ evidence is contradicting or vague. Most of the
time the true answer will never be found. Those conspiracy-nuts sure do try
though. Some are legitimate. If you want to get into politics, a lot of stuff
was proven right. It is just tucked under the table and life moves on. Conspiracies
about the end-of-the-world and extraterrestrial beings? Hard to hide or prove
that it happened when all is dandy. Maybe it isn’t the government. Perhaps
there is some underlining force that keeps us together. Call it God if you’d
like. Call it the universe. I honestly don’t care. I do know something is gluing
us together, some form of consciousness.

What is consciousness? That’s an age-old discussion brought
on by scientists and philosophers. Is it only humans that have consciousness,
or do the animals do too? How about a rock? I for one, have never really
worried about it. What’s the point? No one has ever been able to prove it. If
you dig too deep into a rabbit hole, you will never get yourself out, just like
conspiracists. So, I have just lived my life. Well, I used to until that damn
triangle showed up in the sky. ABE. The All-Knowing Being. The cosmic being has
some form of consciousness, however that works in a giant triangle. We’re
conscious too. It is an underlining layer of our reality. Consciousness is in
everything.

Before him, it was easy to avoid the Galactic Believers, his
loyal followers. They just came across as some wacky new-age belief. Then, the
numbers grew, and ABE showed up. He took so many people. He destroyed so much
of our planet, claiming Earth was to be absorbed into the bigger picture or
something.

End of the World

If you asked me any of this even a month ago, I think you
were shooting up smack. Today, I know consciousness can be sensed all around. ABE
communicated with us for years, through the Galactic Believers. The whispers of
millions of people that he has absorbed spoke only in fragments. I wonder how
much of those people are alive, or if it is just him manipulating us.

I remember watching with my own eyes as people were
dissolved into small particles and absorbed into the giant glowing triangle in
a spiralling upward fashion. People were too gullible. They couldn’t resist ABE
and his mindless followers. People are so easy to give up on hope. Not all of
us. ABE’s Galactic Array absorption is not the end-all-be-all as he claims.
He’s persuasive. His Galactic Believers are intimidating. ABE is also
vulnerable because he has an ego.

Still, ABE made Earth a mess. When he initiated the galactic
absorption, he took his Galactic Believers, and those who were unable to resist
him. Part of the planet had been completely torn apart. I thought that something
about us resisting saved the planet. I was there when my wife was dissolved.
Much like the other survivors, we were confronted in our homes by the Galactic
Believers. Those fools. They became one of many particles that encompass a triangle.
Not me.

Blind luck. I am no professor at some university. I’m just a
mechanic. Odd jobs, you know? A bit of a science geek, but that was all. Thankfully,
common sense isn’t bound to any sort of class. That is why I believed I resisted
ABE. That is why others did too. I wish I could say the same about my wife,
absorbed into the Galactic Array. A part of me wanted to just give in, let ABE
take every atom from my body so I can be with her again. Even after the
absorption, I was positive I could hear her. For all I knew it was ABE talking
to me, wanting me to give in. Thinking about this stuff can drive you crazy,
like the concept of consciousness. So, I just don’t overthink it.

I hid for days. ABE remained in the sky during this time as the
upward spiral of matter move towards him. His essence – or power – crumbled all.
I was frightened. I didn’t move. I even pissed my pants, so scared of making
any sort of movement. What a coward. On the bright side, lying under a car for
days is a great method to lose weight. That didn’t matter, though, since ABE
brought humanity into a new dark era.

I had grown weak. The lack of food and lying in my own
disgusting filth was driving me insane. Thankfully, ABE’s absorption stopped.
It caught my attention, and I got up from under the car. The spiralling
particles remained stationary midair, like a time capsule. I didn’t believe
exactly what I was looking at. I don’t think anyone did. In the midnight sky,
the giant glowing white triangle hovered above the planet, frozen. Well, in
front of North America. I wasn’t sure what the other side of the world was seeing.

The Resistant

Then, I saw other people coming from under the rubble. I remember
seeing one gal. Her eyes were puffy, probably from crying as much as I.
Hundreds of people started to appear from under the remains of the city. We
didn’t know what to say or what to do. ABE, the entity that was surely going to
bring our doom, remained motionless.

“Who dare prevent the natural order?” ABE’s voice projected
in my mind. By the look on everyone else’s faces, I think that bastard was
talking to them too.

We watched in awe, waiting to see what happened next.

“This planet is mine. The atoms that are treasured here must
be brought into the Galactic Array.” ABE spoke.

Some guy in front of me turned around to look at us. He
pointed towards the giant triangle. “He cannot absorb us! We have resisted
him.”

“How?” shouted a woman.

“We must be special,” the man said. “Our mind, or DNA,
something.”

“I prayed!” A man said, his voice trembling. “God answered
me. He answered us all!”

Before anyone else perked up, a pulsating wave erupted
throughout the landscape. I felt it in my core, holding onto my chest as the
force moved through me. I almost toppled onto the ground but managed to remain
stationary. Another wave pulsated, knocking me to the floor. People screamed. I
landed on my ass and didn’t bother to get up. The particles falling from the
sky had my keen interest. ABE’s spiralling absorption began to crumble. The
matter began to move back down in a reverse spiral. It was as if everything was
beginning to rebuild itself. I didn’t believe it. No one did, I don’t even
think ABE did.

Beyond the All-Knowing

“Who defies me?” ABE shouted. This was the angriest I have
ever heard the triangle talk. The prick was always so well composed. About time
he was shaken up.

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE, came another voice.

I got up from the ground, trying to pinpoint where the voice
came from. This one was external, unlike ABE’s. It was all around.

ABE’s glowing form began to shake violently. Parts of the
triangle began to crack like glass. All clouds blew away as the sky itself
began to distort, rippling like water. I think. I really can’t describe this to
you. It was as if there were an upside-down ocean and the sky, filled with as
many colours as I could possibly see outlining the ripples. People ran, some
people stayed. I was one to watch. If we are all going to die, I at least wanted
a good show.

OUR PLACE IS NOT HERE, came the booming voice from
all around. The sky ocean began to extend downward, like two massive tidal waves
aiming for ABE. The triangle continued to shatter, violently moving
back-and-forth, up and down. A type of motion that defied logic.

“This is mine to take. For I am the All-Knowing Being!” ABE
shouted.

THE ALL-KNOWING WOULDN’T NEED TO SPEAK IN SUCH LINEAR
FORMS OF EXPRESSION. COME BACK HOME. The two sky tidal waves collided with ABE.
The impact caused the triangle to dissolve like ink in a bucket of water. The
two forces that collided rebounded and soared towards the surface of Earth.

I finally started to run. A little late. I wasn’t sure
where. I was weak, hungry, and frightened. The massive force from above
engulfed the entire sky. It was faster than anything I’d seen before. Its
motion appeared before I could hear millions of voices talking at once. The sky-ocean
collided with me and sucked my body in.

My body froze. Senses stopped. Black. Light. Reverse, like a
VCR in rewind. Everything moved so quickly. Every sensation was backwards – try
and explain how that feels, huh? I relived being under the car, ABE’s arrival,
watching my wife be dissolved (or pieced back together in this reverse-time),
and the appearance of the first Galactic Believer. This continued until I was
brought back to the moment before any of this happened.

Back Home

I drop my wrench, shouting, catching the attention of my
other co-workers at the shop. It had to be a dream. No sweat drenched me. No
piss-coated clothes. A strange sense of déjà vu rushed over my being. I had
been through this before. I swear to God.

“You all right?” asked a co-worker.

“Yeah,” I said. “What day is it?”

“Thursday,” he said.

I sighed, realizing I could answer the damn question myself.
I reached into my pocket for my phone to check the time. It was exactly what I thought
– the sky ocean rewound time. There were no special people with unique DNA, or
mindset, that could resist ABE. What a foolish thought. There was only some
other force, greater than us, and greater than ABE. Something we couldn’t
exactly see. It took care of humanity and our planet.

Whatever it was, brought me back before the first Galactic
Believer, years ago. I had all this knowledge and experience in my mind, yet no
one seemed to be different from a regular day of work. I left the shop and immediately
called my wife. I cried. She was confused, but lovely as she always was. I
don’t think she will ever fully understand why I was crying. I didn’t tell her
why. No way. I just told her I missed her or something corny like that.

I took a stroll through the city, experiencing the
buildings, sounds of the metropolis, and embracing the moment. Some hokey shit,
hey? When you go through an end of the world experience, only to have it all be
brought back, you appreciate life a bit more. Maybe those hippie-dippies were
right about living in the moment. Whatever took ABE, was capable of abilities
that scientists can even fathom. I sound like a crackpot.

The years went by, the Galactic Believers never arrived. ABE was just a figment of my imagination. At least that is what sane people would say. The classic Mandela Effect. I learned I was not alone. There were others online that shared the same memories that I do. We can all discuss in immense detail about the destruction of Earth and the days leading up to it. We all sound crazy because there is no proof of it. It only exists as a collective story told by hundreds of people who have never met. Another conspiracy theory that will drive you mad.

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Liz Butcher, Australian Horror Author of Fate’s Fury

For our first guest of 2020, we welcome Liz Butcher from
Australia. She writes primarily in the occult, horror, and dark fantasy genres.
She’s a self-confessed nerd with a BA in psychology and lives with her husband,
daughter, and their two cats. She has published short stories in anthologies
and released her own collection, After Dark, in 2018. In September of
2019, she released her debut novel, Fates’ Fury. Let’s welcome Liz
Butcher to the blog and learn about her writing!

Welcome Liz Butcher! Tell us a bit more about yourself.

Thanks for having me! Writing is my happy place, as I’m sure
it is for many authors. I get up before 4am everyday, just to make sure I get
my writing time. If I don’t, look out! I might get a little crabbie!

Let’s discuss your debut novel, Fates’ Fury, what is it about?

It’s about three friends, Jonah, Tristan and Ava, who find themselves in the midst of an apocalyptic scenario, where the Fates have decided they want to rid the world of mankind. An ancient alliance of gods returns to the mortal realm to help man fight for their survival. All while they’re discovering the truth about themselves and what they’re really capable of.

Fate’s Fury by Liz Butcher



What sparked the idea for Fates’ Fury?

I think the idea was initially sparked when I thought about
the way the world was, and I wondered if the ancient gods could see us now,
what would they think? Would they see how we’ve evolved and be impressed or
dismayed?

You’ve written a lot of short stories, has that been your main interest?

Yes and no. I did spend a lot of time while writing Fates’
Fury also writing short stories. I found writing prompts and exercises a good
way to improve my writing and I was fortunate to have numerous short stories
published while I was working on Fates. A lot of these went on to make up my
collection, After Dark.

Share some of your writing process, are you a plotter or panster? Or
perhaps a mix of both?

When I first started out, I was a panster, which I still am
to a degree with my short stories. But when it comes to novels, I am a pedantic
plotter! Every aspect of every scene charted out. Obviously the story still
grows and evolves as I write it, and the plot may change, but I like to have
90% of it plotted before I start.

Do you have anything else – short stories or new novels – in the works
right now?

I have two more novels I’m looking to release this year. The
first, LeRoux Manor, is a YA horror, and the second, Never, Never is a
paranormal/crime novel.

Any advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors?

Reach out and connect with other writers. Back yourself and
practise writing every day. Write down all your ideas, no matter what they are
and file them away for inspiration. Write, write, write!

Let’s thank Liz Butcher for joining us again to the blog!

You can find her new novel on her website, amazon, and the
various links below:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lizbutcherau...Twitter  – @lunalovelizInstagram – @lunalovelizAmazon – https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00X6XN5O6Website – https://lizbutcherauthor.wixsite.com/...

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So Now What Panel

I am pleased to say I will be joining the Edmowrimos on their So What Now panel. Below is the information about the event:

—-

Now that January is here and we’ve had some time away from our novels, it’s time to think about what might come next.  Are you interested in editing, revising, and publishing?  We have a panel just for you!

So What Now Panel

When:
Sunday, January 26 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm

Where: Idylwydle Library (8310 88 Ave NW)

What: Konn Lavery, Natasha Deen, and Susie Moloney chat with us about
the next steps we can take with our novels.

RSVP

Hope
to see you there!  Until then, stay warm,

Your friendly neighbourhood MLs

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Handling Project Burnout

For the first blog post of 2020, I figured we could tackle project burnout, a concept that is common among many people, not just creative types. Of course, this is tailored towards writers. If you haven’t experienced project burnout, you are godlike, or you haven’t quite pushed yourself far enough over the edge. That’s okay. You’ll get there. For the rest of us, project burnout is a very familiar and dreadful experience.

What Is Project Burnout?

If you are unfamiliar with the term or haven’t experienced
project burnout, let me tell you what it is. Project burnout is when you have
taken on too much work for too long and the burden weighs you down. You face a
massive mental wall. Your productivity ceases to exist. What you think you can
do in half an hour is either impossible or takes you twice as long. You feel a
sickening sensation within you, physically and mentally. The thought of doing
work becomes so for that you despise even looking at it. It’s unhealthy.

What To Do When You Have Project Burnout

Everyone has their way of getting out of project burnout or avoiding. In this blog post, we are going to look at a few examples that you can try if you’re finding yourself stuck in a rut. Or if you are not, these are some methods to help avoid burnout. Bookmark this blog post for future use. I guarantee that you will end up at project burnout at some point in your life again.

Method 1: Stop Working

Duh. It sounds easier than it is. Sometimes you can stop
working. Sometimes you cannot. We will tackle that in method two. Projects can
accumulate all at once that it creates a snowball effect rolling downhill. The
snowball gets bigger and bigger, picking up more snow – projects – as it
accelerates. If you have the option to stop working, do it. Even for 10
minutes, or an evening. Pause your projects and soak in reality; it goes a long
way. Do this because we get so hung up on the work that it creates tunnel
vision and we forget what is right in front of us. So stop.

Method 2: Drop What Is Unneeded

If you are unable to stop working, due to the urgency of
projects, drop what is unneeded. Perhaps you don’t clean that week or are you order
takeout, so you don’t have to cook. Remove some of the additional tasks that
aren’t a make it or break it scenario. Dropping tasks will vary depending on
your life and your other responsibilities. Think about what can be pushed aside
during this crunch time so you can put more careful time into the work the
needs to get done.

Method 3: Remember What Is Fun

Why did you start writing to begin with? Remember that. As authors, we wear so many hats, which creates many additional tasks. Some we may not like. It is easy to get wrapped up in the chaos of deadlines, word counts, reviews, and so on. You can go insane. If you’re stuck in project burnout, remember why you started writing. Questioning yourself can lead to an existential crisis, believe me. Discussing that state of mind is a blog post on its own. It’s healthy to question yourself. Why are you writing? Why are you marketing? Why are you writing blog posts? Remember what got you started. With writing, chances are you enjoy it because of the characters you create, because of the unknown at the end of that last word you typed. Get back to basics.

Method 4: Learn Something New

Project burnout is often due to the continual strain on the
mind. One helpful way of breaking out of project burnout is to put your mind in
a new state of being. This is achieved by learning. When you are studying
something new, it forces your brain to work in new ways, breaking your thinking
patterns. It is a bit of a roundabout way to handle project burnout. Learning
brings back the inner discoverer in you, which leads us to the last method.

Method 5: Take the Time

Project burnout happens. It sucks. Ultimately it takes time
to get through. You can try and power through it, thinking it will go away, but
that will make you resent everything more. Trying to ignore it doesn’t help
either. This will reflect in your attitude, the quality of your work, and your
personal life, whether you know it or not. So, don’t try and take a shortcut.
When you realize you are experiencing project burnout or see it on the horizon,
accept it, and work your way through it. In the end, it is only you that can
pull yourself out of that rut. Take the time and do not beat yourself up.

Stay Clear of Icy Ground

Once you experience project burnout, it is a dread that you will not forget. It requires humility and discipline to remind yourself that you need to slow down and not take on so much work. Sometimes the work does pile up all at once, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Remembering your mental exercises of handling project burnout will help you avoid it or face it healthily when you are in doubt.

Do you have any methods of handling project burnout? I’d
love to hear them, feel free to share in the comments.

The post Handling Project Burnout appeared first on Konn Lavery.

New Website

I am pleased to announce that the website has gotten a massive overhaul! The blog is still here, same with all of the previous content. The layout, design, and user experience has been revamped and new sections to the site have been added.

The primary reason that the new site was initiated was the previous site was built on a no longer supported module that was becoming a problem. Plus, overtime, other modules were used that ultimately created a long loading time.

This new site uses less modules and has a lot more custom code that makes it faster and more unique. There are a lot of sections to the site with the blog, short stories, about, novels, etc, that it needed a new way of organizing all of the content.

Some of the new features to the site are:

A complete publications listFAQ pageRevamped Novel Page With Extra Goodies Per BookThe Wiki



The Wiki

The wiki is the largest new section to the site. It is a living archives of the worlds, characters, locations, and more, found within the novels. There are lots of articles to add still, but it is fully populated with information from Mental Damnation and some found within YEGman and Seed Me.

I too will be using the wiki as reference to keep timelines, characters, and continuity throughout the expanding universe.

So please, explore the site and see all the new features it has to offer.

The post New Website appeared first on Konn Lavery.

New Decade

We’ve made it, it is the end of 2019, and we’ll be into a new decade next month. It is exciting because it is the end of the 2010s. Technically we will be in the 20s. As with every decade, you see social, cultural, fashion, and musical trends change decade to decade. I am quite excited to see what the 20s will shape. It is always humorous to look back at the previous decades and see what was once cool looks pretty goofy now. How will we look back at 2010-2019? With any luck, with more wisdom, and understanding of the big-tech age we’ve sprouted into.

Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

A lot happened in 2019, as I mentioned in the newsletter this month, with the release of the final Scrappers chapter. The White Hand was released and is the only novel published this year. However, I have had three short stories published and have continued the monthly flash fiction. It truthfully needs a new name as they aren’t flash fiction, they mutated into regular old short stories. If you didn’t know, flash fiction is anything under a thousand words. Short stories are generally a thousand to ten thousand.

Onto the main point, 2019, I also spent time learning speech
to text software. I promise I will do a blog post on it for my author friends
reading this. Trust me. It is a game-changer. Thanks to the speech to text
software, I was able to crank out two large manuscripts at incredible speed. It’s
night and day for the first draft processes and publishing process.

Learning this tool and writing short stories has allowed me
to focus on the main purpose this year: work smarter, not harder. So, I am continually
learning how to improve upon this. It is an ever-learning process.

Beyond 2019

Now, with the end of the year, I often reflect on what I
have done over the year and lifetime. Most people do. Then they jump into “a
new year, a new me” mindset. I don’t think I do that. Truthfully I don’t
overthink it. For 2020, I am shifting focus on revising a ton of projects that
I have on the go. Let’s go through them:

Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor NovelMental Damnation IVThe untitled slasher novelAn anthology novel (you can probably figure this
one out)An accompanying score for the anthologyContinue to develop the Harvesters/Scrappers
universe

Oh, and somewhere in all of that, I started a music project
and will be exploring that more in 2020. Then I also have the day gig of
running my design/web development business. The list is large, which includes
four novels and a whole new universe to write stories about. Yet, the exciting
thing is the four novels are in various stages of completion, with Fire, Pain
& Ruin being the most completed.

Revise, Revise, and Distribute

All these projects need finetuning or revisions rather. That
will be the primary focus for next year. Then comes the fun process of
marketing. Personally, it is not my favourite part of the writing career or my
design business, but it is required.

Since I started perusing writing professionally in 2011, I
have written a lot of stories, blogs, and built dense worlds. They’re trickled
all over the place if you look hard enough to find them. That is the trouble. They
are too hard to find. I don’t think the stories have gotten exposed to a large
enough crowd.

I am fully grateful and humbled by all of the loyal readers
and fans that follow me work over the years. You all rock and are a huge motivator
for me to get that next book out because I know you’re waiting for it at the
next expo or the next season. Even today, I am still surprised by who enjoys my
stories. That tells me that the net isn’t wide enough, and I haven’t even come
close to reaching the full capacity of the audience the stories can reach.

New Decade

Reflection is healthy. I tend to do it frequently. Call it
daydreaming, pondering, or whatever, but it is helpful, so you don’t fall into
bad habits. The trick is not to overthink things. It is a weird balance.
Regardless, the work crunch with my design business is coming to an end, and my
holiday time is starting soon. In the new decade, I’ll be back online and at in-person
events with plenty of exciting stories to share with you all.

Enjoy the holidays, be safe, and have a Happy New Year.

Beer Note: Red Racer Imperial India Pale Ale

Wow! I didn’t read the label at the bottom “Extra Strong Ale.”
They weren’t kidding. It is bold in flavour. Heavier than I had expected for an
IPA, which is a fun change from the typical overly hoppy double IPA beers. A
couple of these would go down nicely once you adapt to the strong taste.

The post New Decade appeared first on Konn Lavery.

New Decade

We’ve made it, it is the end of 2019, and we’ll be into a new decade next month. It is exciting because it is the end of the 2010s. Technically we will be in the 20s. As with every decade, you see social, cultural, fashion, and musical trends change decade to decade. I am quite excited to see what the 20s will shape. It is always humorous to look back at the previous decades and see what was once cool looks pretty goofy now. How will we look back at 2010-2019? With any luck, with more wisdom, and understanding of the big-tech age we’ve sprouted into.

Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

A lot happened in 2019, as I mentioned in the newsletter this month, with the release of the final Scrappers chapter. The White Hand was released and is the only novel published this year. However, I have had three short stories published and have continued the monthly flash fiction. It truthfully needs a new name as they aren’t flash fiction, they mutated into regular old short stories. If you didn’t know, flash fiction is anything under a thousand words. Short stories are generally a thousand to ten thousand.

Onto the main point, 2019, I also spent time learning speech
to text software. I promise I will do a blog post on it for my author friends
reading this. Trust me. It is a game-changer. Thanks to the speech to text
software, I was able to crank out two large manuscripts at incredible speed. It’s
night and day for the first draft processes and publishing process.

Learning this tool and writing short stories has allowed me
to focus on the main purpose this year: work smarter, not harder. So, I am continually
learning how to improve upon this. It is an ever-learning process.

Beyond 2019

Now, with the end of the year, I often reflect on what I
have done over the year and lifetime. Most people do. Then they jump into “a
new year, a new me” mindset. I don’t think I do that. Truthfully I don’t
overthink it. For 2020, I am shifting focus on revising a ton of projects that
I have on the go. Let’s go through them:

Fire, Pain, & Ruin: A Rutherford Manor NovelMental Damnation IVThe untitled slasher novelAn anthology novel (you can probably figure this
one out)An accompanying score for the anthologyContinue to develop the Harvesters/Scrappers
universe

Oh, and somewhere in all of that, I started a music project
and will be exploring that more in 2020. Then I also have the day gig of
running my design/web development business. The list is large, which includes
four novels and a whole new universe to write stories about. Yet, the exciting
thing is the four novels are in various stages of completion, with Fire, Pain
& Ruin being the most completed.

Revise, Revise, and Distribute

All these projects need finetuning or revisions rather. That
will be the primary focus for next year. Then comes the fun process of
marketing. Personally, it is not my favourite part of the writing career or my
design business, but it is required.

Since I started perusing writing professionally in 2011, I
have written a lot of stories, blogs, and built dense worlds. They’re trickled
all over the place if you look hard enough to find them. That is the trouble. They
are too hard to find. I don’t think the stories have gotten exposed to a large
enough crowd.

I am fully grateful and humbled by all of the loyal readers
and fans that follow me work over the years. You all rock and are a huge motivator
for me to get that next book out because I know you’re waiting for it at the
next expo or the next season. Even today, I am still surprised by who enjoys my
stories. That tells me that the net isn’t wide enough, and I haven’t even come
close to reaching the full capacity of the audience the stories can reach.

A New Decade

Reflection is healthy. I tend to do it frequently. Call it
daydreaming, pondering, or whatever, but it is helpful, so you don’t fall into
bad habits. The trick is not to overthink things. It is a weird balance.
Regardless, the work crunch with my design business is coming to an end, and my
holiday time is starting soon. In the new decade, I’ll be back online and at in-person
events with plenty of exciting stories to share with you all.

Enjoy the holidays, be safe, and have a Happy New Year.

Beer Note: Red Racer Imperial India Pale Ale

Wow! I didn’t read the label at the bottom “Extra Strong Ale.”
They weren’t kidding. It is bold in flavour. Heavier than I had expected for an
IPA, which is a fun change from the typical overly hoppy double IPA beers. A
couple of these would go down nicely once you adapt to the strong taste.

The post New Decade appeared first on Konn Lavery.