Nathan Howe's Blog, page 11

Deimos, Emerge

Sorry I missed yesterday with my blog. Just out of it while I wait to hear about my job interview. Anyways, we have been working hard on our writing. Derek has made great work on the shorts that we plan to release in the Cretun world. Hopefully the first one will be out soon. I have been going over them a little as well (more on that in a second).

I’ve have been working on the follow up to Emerge: Cataclysm as well. If you haven’t checked out Cataclysm you can currently see an unedited version on Wattpad. Or read it here on our site. If I land the job, that story will be sent to our editor sooner rather than later, otherwise we have to wait and save up. But I’ve made progress on the second one. No idea when Derek will get to it. He’s been so busy with work and the Cretun.

Speaking of the Cretun my short Deimos wasn’t very good. So much so that Derek had to do a complete rewrite. It’s almost like we switched roles for that short and it’s interesting to say the least. I’m willing to admit, I’m not the best at rewriting, it’s something I rely on Derek to do more of. It’s something that I’ve been trying to get better at. So I enjoyed working on Deimos. I also like seeing the story that Derek told. I’m sure once it’s ready that you will like it as well.

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Top Ten Shows Cancelled too early

These are shows that were cancelled before they should have been. I’m limiting it to shows that aired five years or less.

Leverage
Lie to Me
Alpha’s
The Finder
Smash
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Journeyman
Warehouse 13
Moonlight
Dead Like Me
Eureka

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Wattpad

Yesterday I added Emerge: Cataclysm to Wattpad. It’s unedited, but I wanted to get a feel for peoples interest in the story. I’m going to leave it up for a while. Please check it out and let me know what you think of it.

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Musing of a beginning and struggling writer

For most of my life I’ve been writing on and off. I’d write for a few months then not for a while then pick it back up. But since March of 2013 I’ve wrote almost every day. This is the longest period of my life. I’m proud of that. But I’m also ashamed that I haven’t improved as much as I’d like. Sure I’m better. It’s night and day. Yet it’s not to the standard I’d like. I continue to improve which is a good thing.

I’m also torn. As a writer with lots of different story ideas. I want to get them all out. I’ve started so many different projects over the last year and a half. I was focused mostly on Aiden, which Derek and I released back in July. But we’ve worked on shorts in that world, five short stories and a novella/novelette that takes place during Aiden. The follow up to Aiden, Mason, has a first draft complete, I even started to next book after that one. I’ve also started a two different fantasy novels and a short story (and we just came up with another story that I want to sit down and write but forcing myself not to). Recently I started a thriller novel as well. I’ve been having focus issues. I keep going back and forth between them all. I want to write them all. And none of that even mentions the Superhero stuff that Derek and I have worked on. The first novella for that is close, so close that a year ago we’d ask beta readers to have a look at it. But we don’t have the time to open it up to them. With trying to get the Cretun world out. I’d love to get it out. It’s so close.

I’m torn between sending work out for others to read to get it to the reader as soon as possible and making it perfect. Waiting until we are both better writers. It’s a struggle to decide when it’s ready, when we are ready. I go back and forth on this on a weekly if not daily basis. It troubles me because each time I go through my work it excites me. I get lost in the story, the world we created. I’m sure that you the reader would as well.

This brings me to another reason that I’m reluctant to send stuff out. Aiden hasn’t sold much, we didn’t expect much. It’s worse than we even thought (and that is saying something). Since it hasn’t sold much at all, we don’t have the money to publish. To give the reader the best possible story we need to send our book to our editor, Laurie, and that cost money. That is something I lack. I’ve been unemployed for a long time (I’m in debt so deep I’m not sure I’ll ever get out). Derek moved out and his budget has changed to the point he can’t afford another monthly payment. This is the saddest part for me. I’m not sure when we’ll get the longer stuff out to you the reader because of this. We’re working on the shorts. But other than that I don’t have a clue when we’ll be able to get the rest to you even if it is close.

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Superhero

This past week we lowered the price of Aiden from 4.99 to 2.99.

Over the past several years I’ve come to love the live action superhero movies and shows. The marvel universe with the Avengers is some of the best work. Each movie is enjoyable, while some better than others. Most are worth a watch, some worth several. Even the Marvel Agent of Shield is a quality show.

The CW DC comics world with the Arrow and the Flash is the best on TV. I never miss a week of Arrow, and I won’t with the Flash as well. The rest of the DC world is lackluster at best, outside of the Nolan Batman movies. Man of Steel was okay. And I’m scared to death of the follow up. it feels like they are trying to hard to keep up with Marvel movies.

And the other Marvel movies the Spider-man reboot is lackluster and not worth it. But the X-men movies have been getting better. First class and the Days of Future past of amazing. If you have watched the X-men or Avenger related movies you should. And hit up Netflix to watch seasons one and two of Arrow.

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Current progress and what we are working on

We are nearing completion of our first short in the Cretun world, Jeremiah. I can’t give an exact date yet, but it shouldn’t be long. We are still working on several other shorts in the world and the second novel. Over the past few months Derek’s writing time has been limited. With moving, and his computer acting up. So we are a little behind from what I’d like.

Since Derek is having trouble keeping up with all the stuff I have wrote. I decided to try to write a full novel on my own. I’m hoping it helps me grow as a writing. I’ve leaving the science fiction and fantasy stuff that we work on together and writing a thriller story. I’m about a third of the way done with the first draft. It’s the later drafts that I really hope to hone my skills. Because that is the part I normally rely on Derek for. A side note, I’m not sure when any of the longer stuff will get done and be ready for readers eyes. It’s been slow going and funds are tight.

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New Shows

This week was the first week of the fall TV schedule.  I have several shows I love to watch. And almost every year there is a new show that I want to give a shot. This year there are a few new ones. Primarily The Flash And Gotham.

I’ll have to wait to see the Flash. However, Gotham aired this past Monday. And I was disappointed.  Being a part of the superhero world I had hoped it would draw me in. But it didn’t. I found the story lacking in detail s and substance. None of the characters were engaging. The relationship between them wasn’t that exciting. And the acting was just average. It’s only one episode so I’ll give it a few more weeks. But if this is the standard for it I’ll have to give it a pass.

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Top Ten Favorite Detroit Lions

Since it’s football season and I’m a huge football fan. Really a big Detroit Lions fan. So I figured I’d put together a Top Ten list of my favorite Lions player of all time.

 

Herman Moore
Barry Sanders
Calvin Johnson
Chris Spielman
Lomas Brown
Jason Hanson
Ndamukong Suh
Robert Porcher
Stephen Boyd
Cory Schlesinger

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Reading and authors

I’m an avid reader, have been for a very long time. I was a huge Stephen King fan in middle school. I read several of his books, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Misery to name a few . My reading wanned some in high school, but not completely, it was then that I was introduced to John Sandford, who is still one of my favorite writers. Throughout my years in the Army I read a lot, and after I got out I continued to read. Over the years the genres and authors I read changed. For a long time I was a murder mystery, thriller reader. Stuff by James Patterson, Dan Brown, Michael Connelly, and others.

But the past eight years or so. I’ve switched to a much more fantasy, science fiction genre, and Young adult. Not to say I didn’t read that before. I did. Just not as the main reading material. Since I started writing much more frequently the last year and half. I started to branch out not only in the genres I read again. But in the authors that I read. I’ve read mainstream like I always did. but I’ve been reading and supporting indie authors like myself. Sure I’ve found some bad books out there, both from mainstream and indie. But I’ve read a lot of great stuff too.

I feel like I should mention some of the indies that I’ve read and loved, M.L Adams, Sean Platt and David Wright, Tony Healey, Alexander Maisey and Karen McQuestion. Each book I read by them was an enjoyable read. Each story drew you in. You should give them a try.

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Reviews

This past week we received our first reviews of Aiden. Both of them happened to be five star reviews on Amazon. Both Derek and I are very proud of this. It means a lot that people enjoy Aiden. I hope that the others who have purchased the book liked it as much. Please keep the reviews coming. Every little bit helps us.

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