Adrian D. Roberts's Blog
May 30, 2015
Stalker - TV Show
I started watching Stalker as it had both Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott in it, two excellent actors. The first episode impressed me, mainly because of its fairly unique storyline and I continued watching.
As anyone who has read Reason for Vengeance or Crusade knows, I like strong female characters who stand by themselves and aren't just window dressing to the men. Stalker had that with an equally split team, one of the women is in charge and also had an interesting ongoing story.
If you either want to watch this series or haven't seen episode Eighteen yet, stop reading now.
All OK?
Eighteen is the conclusion to Maggie Q's storyline. Her psycho ex-boyfriend/stalker from her past has escaped from his mental asylum and kidnapped her. The episodes leading up to this were very good with twists and turns throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed them, but I've held off seeing this one for over a month. I had a bad feeling about it and, having just watched it, I saw I was unfortunately right.
The junior male member of the team is badly injured and Maggie Q is kidnapped. This leaves Dylan McDermott and the other female detective played by Mariana Klaveno to find her. The kidnapper takes Maggie Q to a secluded cabin and then it all goes downhill from there.
Maggie Q manages to attack and defeat her kidnapper three times! Each time, after he's down, she doesn't keep sticking the boot in until he can't get up again, oh no. She turns her back on him and tries to run. He of course catches her again. This was bad enough, but the ending was much worse and pure Hollywood/American TV sexism.
Maggie Q escapes a fourth time and runs off into the woods pursued by the kidnapper. McDermott and Klaveno turn up shortly after and go after them. They are entering woods they don't know at night after someone they know is armed and what do they do? They split up.
McDermott finds Maggie Q and takes her to a nearby cabin. Shock of shocks, the kidnapper manages to capture Klaveno and follow them. Klaveno gets knocked out, Maggie Q is tied up and McDermott is left free. Kidnapper sets fire to house, McDermott tackles him, Maggie Q escapes, getting Klaveno out, McDermott defeats kidnapper and leaves him behind to burn.
Why with two strong female characters, does it have to be the male who saves the day? This was pure lazy writing in my opinion. You could have had a suspenseful standoff between Maggie Q and the kidnapper without all the forced action, while the others search frantically for them. Then you have Maggie Q escape, just once mind, kick the kidnappers ass and call in the rest of the team who were already on their way.
Now I'm not saying I could write that. I couldn't, not yet. I've got a lot to learn, but these people are paid a reasonable amount of money and it should be well within their capabilities.
Anyway. I'm off to watch the last two episodes. Hopefully they'll be like the rest of the series and not as lazy as eightteen.
Edit - For the record, they weren't. Nineteen and Twenty were much better and it's a shame the series wasn't picked up for a second season.
Oh, on the subject of my writing, don't ask. It's not going very well on my new book.
As anyone who has read Reason for Vengeance or Crusade knows, I like strong female characters who stand by themselves and aren't just window dressing to the men. Stalker had that with an equally split team, one of the women is in charge and also had an interesting ongoing story.
If you either want to watch this series or haven't seen episode Eighteen yet, stop reading now.
All OK?
Eighteen is the conclusion to Maggie Q's storyline. Her psycho ex-boyfriend/stalker from her past has escaped from his mental asylum and kidnapped her. The episodes leading up to this were very good with twists and turns throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed them, but I've held off seeing this one for over a month. I had a bad feeling about it and, having just watched it, I saw I was unfortunately right.
The junior male member of the team is badly injured and Maggie Q is kidnapped. This leaves Dylan McDermott and the other female detective played by Mariana Klaveno to find her. The kidnapper takes Maggie Q to a secluded cabin and then it all goes downhill from there.
Maggie Q manages to attack and defeat her kidnapper three times! Each time, after he's down, she doesn't keep sticking the boot in until he can't get up again, oh no. She turns her back on him and tries to run. He of course catches her again. This was bad enough, but the ending was much worse and pure Hollywood/American TV sexism.
Maggie Q escapes a fourth time and runs off into the woods pursued by the kidnapper. McDermott and Klaveno turn up shortly after and go after them. They are entering woods they don't know at night after someone they know is armed and what do they do? They split up.
McDermott finds Maggie Q and takes her to a nearby cabin. Shock of shocks, the kidnapper manages to capture Klaveno and follow them. Klaveno gets knocked out, Maggie Q is tied up and McDermott is left free. Kidnapper sets fire to house, McDermott tackles him, Maggie Q escapes, getting Klaveno out, McDermott defeats kidnapper and leaves him behind to burn.
Why with two strong female characters, does it have to be the male who saves the day? This was pure lazy writing in my opinion. You could have had a suspenseful standoff between Maggie Q and the kidnapper without all the forced action, while the others search frantically for them. Then you have Maggie Q escape, just once mind, kick the kidnappers ass and call in the rest of the team who were already on their way.
Now I'm not saying I could write that. I couldn't, not yet. I've got a lot to learn, but these people are paid a reasonable amount of money and it should be well within their capabilities.
Anyway. I'm off to watch the last two episodes. Hopefully they'll be like the rest of the series and not as lazy as eightteen.
Edit - For the record, they weren't. Nineteen and Twenty were much better and it's a shame the series wasn't picked up for a second season.
Oh, on the subject of my writing, don't ask. It's not going very well on my new book.
May 11, 2015
Still on the Short Story
I've finished part 2 of what I think is going to be a five part short story. I guess it's going to be more of a Novella in the end. I wrote 2,000 words and then went out into the garden to edit while sitting in the Sun. It was very pleasant.
Not much else to report I guess. The Spanish Grandprix was good yesterday and good win for Rosberg. It looks like it is all going Hamilton's way, but all it takes is a single DNF and suddenly Rosberg is ahead again.
I always watch the Sky coverage even when the BBC has it. I think they've done a really good job, though Crofty is a bit annoying when he's not commentating. His style is too sensationalist for me. I much prefer Martin Brundle or Ted Kravitz's calm and measured approach. I really missed Ted's coverage at the final test before the start of the season. Crofty gave us almost no useful information.
50% of F1 is racing and the other half is technical. We need to know what new gubbins are being put on the cars. Spain was a clear example of that. Mclaren leapfrogged Force India and Sauber in qualifying because of their developments. These are the things we need to know about, not what Lewis has been up to when not racing. Though I did wonder if that's why Rosberg beat him. Did Rosberg put more time in learning in the simulator or other preparations than Lewis? That would be an interesting story to look into.
My one real complaint though is they always seem to forget about Williams. Yes they've been at the back for years, but last year they came a very strong third and they've been third all this year. Yet Torro Rosso, Mclaren and Force India all seem to get more coverage. Don't forget that Williams are the third most successful team in F1 history. Only Ferrari and Mclaren have done better.
That's my moan done for the day. Off to watch Prometheus for the first time. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Aliens in it.
Not much else to report I guess. The Spanish Grandprix was good yesterday and good win for Rosberg. It looks like it is all going Hamilton's way, but all it takes is a single DNF and suddenly Rosberg is ahead again.
I always watch the Sky coverage even when the BBC has it. I think they've done a really good job, though Crofty is a bit annoying when he's not commentating. His style is too sensationalist for me. I much prefer Martin Brundle or Ted Kravitz's calm and measured approach. I really missed Ted's coverage at the final test before the start of the season. Crofty gave us almost no useful information.
50% of F1 is racing and the other half is technical. We need to know what new gubbins are being put on the cars. Spain was a clear example of that. Mclaren leapfrogged Force India and Sauber in qualifying because of their developments. These are the things we need to know about, not what Lewis has been up to when not racing. Though I did wonder if that's why Rosberg beat him. Did Rosberg put more time in learning in the simulator or other preparations than Lewis? That would be an interesting story to look into.
My one real complaint though is they always seem to forget about Williams. Yes they've been at the back for years, but last year they came a very strong third and they've been third all this year. Yet Torro Rosso, Mclaren and Force India all seem to get more coverage. Don't forget that Williams are the third most successful team in F1 history. Only Ferrari and Mclaren have done better.
That's my moan done for the day. Off to watch Prometheus for the first time. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Aliens in it.
May 8, 2015
Interesting Times ahead
I got distracted this morning by the election results. I watched a bit of the coverage last night before I went to bed. The commentators were droning on about the exit polls showing a Conservative victory. I got a bit annoyed as it was a poll and they were treating it as fact. Basically talking about it as they had nothing else to say for hours. I did jot down the numbers out of curiosity before heading upstairs.
Wow, weren't they close? The Exit poll stated Con 316 and Lab 239, completely contrary to all the polls before. The result? Con 331 and Lab 232. A Conservative win. That's not the interesting thing though, that's just normal British politics with either a Tory or Labour government.
The interesting thing is just how badly the SNP beat everyone in Scotland. Was this a swing in their favour from last years No voters or did all the Yes people turn up and only some of the No's? I do wonder. How all those very left wing MP's are going to interact with a right wing government is going to be fun to watch.
The question I have is: Without Scotland, can Labour ever again govern Britain?
The good news for me is that phone call about the job happened. I know have an interview and can stop worrying about missing the call.
I managed a couple of thousand words today on the short story, so at least I did something.
Wow, weren't they close? The Exit poll stated Con 316 and Lab 239, completely contrary to all the polls before. The result? Con 331 and Lab 232. A Conservative win. That's not the interesting thing though, that's just normal British politics with either a Tory or Labour government.
The interesting thing is just how badly the SNP beat everyone in Scotland. Was this a swing in their favour from last years No voters or did all the Yes people turn up and only some of the No's? I do wonder. How all those very left wing MP's are going to interact with a right wing government is going to be fun to watch.
The question I have is: Without Scotland, can Labour ever again govern Britain?
The good news for me is that phone call about the job happened. I know have an interview and can stop worrying about missing the call.
I managed a couple of thousand words today on the short story, so at least I did something.
May 7, 2015
Today's been a bit different.
I did something stupid last night at Karate. We were doing a bear race as a warm up where you run around on your hands and feet. The stupid bit was when I went too fast, couldn't stop and crashed into a wall head first. My head was fine, but I twisted my wrist quite badly. Every move was agony. Fortunately we weren't doing any punching so I was able to tough out the rest of the lesson.
It's pretty bad though, I can't lift anything, opening doors is painful and even writing is difficult. I think I would have actually preferred a black eye and bloody nose to this. They heel pretty quickly and don't stop you from doing anything. Fortuitously I can type without any discomfort. This has actually helped me concentrate better. Possibly because I can't physically do anything else, but I'm not downstairs watching TV.
I decided to stick with giving the New Project a break and work on my practice short story.
It's polling day and a few days ago I saw an advert/notice that E4 were going to switch off to help promote voting. I was intrigued as to what they would put up instead so while my tea was brewing, I switched it on. It was hilarious in a funny surreal way. They had this big guy in the a purple shirt sitting in a chair by a screen confirming E4 was off. There was also scrolling text running along the bottom with funny comments like:
E4 is off for today, you could go back to bed or you could take half an hour and vote.
I thought it was extremely clever and all done very well. It's one of those things that's very simple, but works so well. The kind of thing you think 'I could have thought of that' but you didn't.
I have no idea if it repeats during the twelve hours it's off and I wasn't going to stick around to find out. It was tempting though, it was strangely compelling viewing. I was going to see what was happening before nd after my lunch but I forgot.
For the record I voted before nine this morning.
Writing wise, I actually managed 4,500 words on a short story I've been working on as practice. I like to publish these anonymously on a writers website and get feedback. It can be quite enlightening and the good comments give me a real boost.
It's pretty bad though, I can't lift anything, opening doors is painful and even writing is difficult. I think I would have actually preferred a black eye and bloody nose to this. They heel pretty quickly and don't stop you from doing anything. Fortuitously I can type without any discomfort. This has actually helped me concentrate better. Possibly because I can't physically do anything else, but I'm not downstairs watching TV.
I decided to stick with giving the New Project a break and work on my practice short story.
It's polling day and a few days ago I saw an advert/notice that E4 were going to switch off to help promote voting. I was intrigued as to what they would put up instead so while my tea was brewing, I switched it on. It was hilarious in a funny surreal way. They had this big guy in the a purple shirt sitting in a chair by a screen confirming E4 was off. There was also scrolling text running along the bottom with funny comments like:
E4 is off for today, you could go back to bed or you could take half an hour and vote.
I thought it was extremely clever and all done very well. It's one of those things that's very simple, but works so well. The kind of thing you think 'I could have thought of that' but you didn't.
I have no idea if it repeats during the twelve hours it's off and I wasn't going to stick around to find out. It was tempting though, it was strangely compelling viewing. I was going to see what was happening before nd after my lunch but I forgot.
For the record I voted before nine this morning.
Writing wise, I actually managed 4,500 words on a short story I've been working on as practice. I like to publish these anonymously on a writers website and get feedback. It can be quite enlightening and the good comments give me a real boost.
May 6, 2015
Urgh - It is not going well.
On Wednesday and Thursday I had my daughter round. That was its normal brilliance. We had a great time together. On Thursday afternoon I received a call in regard to a job I'd applied for. I lucked out on the timing. Willow was fast asleep having her afternoon nap. I did need to warn the woman that she was due to wake up at any time though.
The call went very well and I have to admit that I was quite excited at the possibilities it represented. Willow’s timing was spot on and I heard the thump from her room of her getting out of bed as the conversation was winding up. She wandered round to me and was as good as gold. I gave her a hug and she stood there quietly while I finished the call.
The lady said I would be contacted to arrange a time and date for an interview, Wednesday the following week was mentioned as a possibility. All good. I didn't hear anything Friday, Monday was a bank holiday and nothing yesterday or today. For most of that time I've been on edge, carrying my phone with me everywhere.
It's been a long while since I've gone through this. Before taking the time to write, I worked for the same company for a very long time. I'm just not used to the highs and lows of job searching.
I did feel a little better this afternoon, more relaxed. I didn't work on the new project, but I did some more on a short story I've been working on here and there.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more positive. I'll give the company a polite chase up call and put it aside until I hear from them.
I had no idea how much my mood would affect my writing. I've had it before in the past year, but nothing this bad.
The call went very well and I have to admit that I was quite excited at the possibilities it represented. Willow’s timing was spot on and I heard the thump from her room of her getting out of bed as the conversation was winding up. She wandered round to me and was as good as gold. I gave her a hug and she stood there quietly while I finished the call.
The lady said I would be contacted to arrange a time and date for an interview, Wednesday the following week was mentioned as a possibility. All good. I didn't hear anything Friday, Monday was a bank holiday and nothing yesterday or today. For most of that time I've been on edge, carrying my phone with me everywhere.
It's been a long while since I've gone through this. Before taking the time to write, I worked for the same company for a very long time. I'm just not used to the highs and lows of job searching.
I did feel a little better this afternoon, more relaxed. I didn't work on the new project, but I did some more on a short story I've been working on here and there.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more positive. I'll give the company a polite chase up call and put it aside until I hear from them.
I had no idea how much my mood would affect my writing. I've had it before in the past year, but nothing this bad.
April 27, 2015
New Project
I had a very clearly defined plan this morning - write 7,500 words. I let the middle of the book get to me on Wednesday. The beginning was there, the end pulling together nicely, then I suddenly realised I didn't know what I was doing in the middle. Generally in a story this is where it all goes wrong, Obi-Wan Kenobi or Phil Coulson dies, and I had nothing.
The last thing I wanted to do was run straight into this problem head on. I think that would have really set me back, so I sat and tried to plan on Wednesday. Not as easy as it sounds by a long stretch. I did manage to get some ideas on the board though.
Thursday was kind of OK with 3,500 words written. I wasn't sure if I should include the next bit I was planning to write. It all seemed a little boring. I didn't know if that was just me or actually the case, so I decided to just write it and if my alpha readers didn't like it, it would get cut.
This morning I started strong, but I got distracted by an article on Top Gear, it's going to be very interesting to see how that shakes out. This somehow led into looking at jobs. On a positive note, I did apply for seven, the time wasn't wasted. I got back to work properly at 12.00 noon with the very firm intention of getting another 1,000 done by lunch. I didn't manage, it was close but I lost 15 mins trying to work out the name of a merchants meeting place.
The afternoon was better, bust still a struggle. I got a phone call from a recruitment company at 4.30pm and suddenly I had an interview the next day. That cost me over an hour in talking to them and digging out the suit.
Still by the end I did manage a solid 5,000 words. Not as much as I'd like, but at least I didn't waste much time. Also I did continue after getting that call. It was so tempting to just call it at 5.30pm with my focus broken. I didn't and got another 1,500 words done so it was worth pushing on.
Total now at 43,000 words.
The last thing I wanted to do was run straight into this problem head on. I think that would have really set me back, so I sat and tried to plan on Wednesday. Not as easy as it sounds by a long stretch. I did manage to get some ideas on the board though.
Thursday was kind of OK with 3,500 words written. I wasn't sure if I should include the next bit I was planning to write. It all seemed a little boring. I didn't know if that was just me or actually the case, so I decided to just write it and if my alpha readers didn't like it, it would get cut.
This morning I started strong, but I got distracted by an article on Top Gear, it's going to be very interesting to see how that shakes out. This somehow led into looking at jobs. On a positive note, I did apply for seven, the time wasn't wasted. I got back to work properly at 12.00 noon with the very firm intention of getting another 1,000 done by lunch. I didn't manage, it was close but I lost 15 mins trying to work out the name of a merchants meeting place.
The afternoon was better, bust still a struggle. I got a phone call from a recruitment company at 4.30pm and suddenly I had an interview the next day. That cost me over an hour in talking to them and digging out the suit.
Still by the end I did manage a solid 5,000 words. Not as much as I'd like, but at least I didn't waste much time. Also I did continue after getting that call. It was so tempting to just call it at 5.30pm with my focus broken. I didn't and got another 1,500 words done so it was worth pushing on.
Total now at 43,000 words.
April 26, 2015
Rush
I watched Rush while looking after my daughter on Thursday night. It was a fantastic film.
Firstly, I'd better say that I'm a Formula One fan. I watch all the races and I'm one of those nutters who gets up at silly o'clock to watch Australia, Malaysia, China and Japan live. The Hunt/Lauda battle is before my time, but it's legendary in the sport and often spoken about. That said, I only knew the barest bones of the story.
The film starts with Chris Hemsworth wandering into a hospital before getting treated by the nurse, played by Natalie Dormer - Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, and seducing her. It's then we get introduced to Formula Three and the first meeting with Niki Lauda. We get to see the beginnings of their rivalry and how different they are as racers. Lauda is the calm, methodical, planning driver and Hunt the balls to the wall, seat of the pants racer, neither an inch better than the other.
Throughout the film we see the depths of their commitment and just how dangerous Formula one was forty years ago. Two drivers died every year and yet these men still queued up to put their lives on the line in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Strangely this isn't a fast paced, car movie. It has nothing in common with the Fast & Furious series, films I also greatly enjoy, but for completely different reasons. Rush is a film about what drives men and women to be the very best in the world. It is also about the truly extraordinary story of Niki Lauda's recovery. He won two more world championships after that crash.
If you want to be inspired by one of the greatest human triumph over injury, watch this film. If you’re a Formula One fan like me, the question is simply, why haven't you watched it yet?
Firstly, I'd better say that I'm a Formula One fan. I watch all the races and I'm one of those nutters who gets up at silly o'clock to watch Australia, Malaysia, China and Japan live. The Hunt/Lauda battle is before my time, but it's legendary in the sport and often spoken about. That said, I only knew the barest bones of the story.
The film starts with Chris Hemsworth wandering into a hospital before getting treated by the nurse, played by Natalie Dormer - Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, and seducing her. It's then we get introduced to Formula Three and the first meeting with Niki Lauda. We get to see the beginnings of their rivalry and how different they are as racers. Lauda is the calm, methodical, planning driver and Hunt the balls to the wall, seat of the pants racer, neither an inch better than the other.
Throughout the film we see the depths of their commitment and just how dangerous Formula one was forty years ago. Two drivers died every year and yet these men still queued up to put their lives on the line in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Strangely this isn't a fast paced, car movie. It has nothing in common with the Fast & Furious series, films I also greatly enjoy, but for completely different reasons. Rush is a film about what drives men and women to be the very best in the world. It is also about the truly extraordinary story of Niki Lauda's recovery. He won two more world championships after that crash.
If you want to be inspired by one of the greatest human triumph over injury, watch this film. If you’re a Formula One fan like me, the question is simply, why haven't you watched it yet?
April 21, 2015
New Project
Another very good day. Just shy of 7,000 words. That's three in a row. If I can keep this up, I'll be hitting 45,000 before Friday and gain a day back.
Something that occurred to me today is how useful breaks are. I'm not talking about time away from the screen, rest, etc, but purely from a writing perspective. I think sometimes when you're writing dialogue, you can get lost in the moment and it drones on unchecked. The break allows you to walk away and when you come back, you’re out of that grove. While you work to get back into it, you're thinking more about what happens next and not just the conversation. This tightens up the dialogue into natural endings rather than going on and on.
That's about it for today. Nothing else to report. I'm working my way through the MCU in preparation of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tonight it's my favourite of them all, Avengers Assemble while eating a very calorific pizza. I thought I had a shepherds pie in the freezer, but it turns out I don't, so it's pizza instead.
Total now at 33,000 words.
Something that occurred to me today is how useful breaks are. I'm not talking about time away from the screen, rest, etc, but purely from a writing perspective. I think sometimes when you're writing dialogue, you can get lost in the moment and it drones on unchecked. The break allows you to walk away and when you come back, you’re out of that grove. While you work to get back into it, you're thinking more about what happens next and not just the conversation. This tightens up the dialogue into natural endings rather than going on and on.
That's about it for today. Nothing else to report. I'm working my way through the MCU in preparation of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tonight it's my favourite of them all, Avengers Assemble while eating a very calorific pizza. I thought I had a shepherds pie in the freezer, but it turns out I don't, so it's pizza instead.
Total now at 33,000 words.
April 20, 2015
New Project
What can I say? A fantastic day at 7,000 words. I do feel I'm getting a feel for the story and characters now. There are a few things that are dropping in as I write that I'm really loving. The first one was the very first bit I wrote this morning. I was planning to do just a couple of sentences to tee up something to happen a lot later in the book and ended up writing 1,000 words. It really told me a lot about who this character I'm building is. Now I can't wait to introduce her.
I also managed a bit of exercise this morning. I think that is the biggest disappointment of the past year (other than very few people buying my books). At the end of May last year I was the fittest I had ever been. Four times a week I would do:
70 push ups
70 sit ups
7 chin ups (these were new and I was building them up)
3 x 35 bicep curls
2 x 10 weight rep (I don't know what any of these are called)
2 x 20 weight rep
2 x 10 weight rep
3 x 50 weight rep
3 min plank
2 x 10 mile bicycle
Once a week run 3.5 miles
Once a week do an hour of Karate
Pretty good for a guy in his mid-thirties. I was fit and I felt great. I could go out and eat whatever I liked. I didn't stint on my normal portions and worried I wasn't eating enough. I would wake up in the middle of the night hungry. I didn't get ill either.
The loss of routine killed me. The daily cycle was to and from work. No matter the weather, when you have to go to work, it cancels out the 'can't be bothered' attitude. I don't think I've cycled anywhere since July.
The worst thing is that it took me four years to get to this point. At the start I was doing 25 push ups and cycling 3.5 miles to work. I built it up slowly, changing my route, doing an extra 5 push ups and adding new exercises. Four years of hard work. It's not all gone. I can still manage each individual exercise, though I am down to 60 push ups now. It's just very hard to do the full rep and when I want to write 7,000 words in a day, spending an hour on the bike, that includes warm up and cool down time, is just not an option.
Oh well, boohoo me. Only one person can change this. I need to suck it up and get on with it. I did it once and I still have a good basic level of fitness so I can do it again.
Total now at 27,000 words.
I also managed a bit of exercise this morning. I think that is the biggest disappointment of the past year (other than very few people buying my books). At the end of May last year I was the fittest I had ever been. Four times a week I would do:
70 push ups
70 sit ups
7 chin ups (these were new and I was building them up)
3 x 35 bicep curls
2 x 10 weight rep (I don't know what any of these are called)
2 x 20 weight rep
2 x 10 weight rep
3 x 50 weight rep
3 min plank
2 x 10 mile bicycle
Once a week run 3.5 miles
Once a week do an hour of Karate
Pretty good for a guy in his mid-thirties. I was fit and I felt great. I could go out and eat whatever I liked. I didn't stint on my normal portions and worried I wasn't eating enough. I would wake up in the middle of the night hungry. I didn't get ill either.
The loss of routine killed me. The daily cycle was to and from work. No matter the weather, when you have to go to work, it cancels out the 'can't be bothered' attitude. I don't think I've cycled anywhere since July.
The worst thing is that it took me four years to get to this point. At the start I was doing 25 push ups and cycling 3.5 miles to work. I built it up slowly, changing my route, doing an extra 5 push ups and adding new exercises. Four years of hard work. It's not all gone. I can still manage each individual exercise, though I am down to 60 push ups now. It's just very hard to do the full rep and when I want to write 7,000 words in a day, spending an hour on the bike, that includes warm up and cool down time, is just not an option.
Oh well, boohoo me. Only one person can change this. I need to suck it up and get on with it. I did it once and I still have a good basic level of fitness so I can do it again.
Total now at 27,000 words.
April 17, 2015
New Project
Nothing blogged about on the new project since April 1st. Wow. The reason is that it's been hard, very hard. I think I know why. For Reason I was thinking about the story for three months before I started writing. When I did it, was 500 or 1,000 words here and there in the evening. It was only when I was made redundant five months and 50,000 words later I started writing all day. At that point, after a couple of trial days, I knew it was possible to write 5,000 words in a day, I'd even clocked 7,000 once.
For Crusade and Revolution the world and characters were already there. All I needed was to set up the senarios and everything flowed from there. This time I'm starting from scratch again and from a brand new idea. I only came up with it two weeks before I wrote the first word. Yep, I can see why I'm struggling.
The good news is that I am still on schedule to finish the first draft by the end of May, which has always been my plan. I've got 27 writing days left and 26 days of writing to do. The characters are settling in nicely, though I've still got to introduce about half a dozen secondary’s, a couple of those being the main villains, so I imagine that's going to slow me down again.
This is definitely more challenging, but then again, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
6,000 words written today and the total now at 20,000. I'm feeling positive!
For Crusade and Revolution the world and characters were already there. All I needed was to set up the senarios and everything flowed from there. This time I'm starting from scratch again and from a brand new idea. I only came up with it two weeks before I wrote the first word. Yep, I can see why I'm struggling.
The good news is that I am still on schedule to finish the first draft by the end of May, which has always been my plan. I've got 27 writing days left and 26 days of writing to do. The characters are settling in nicely, though I've still got to introduce about half a dozen secondary’s, a couple of those being the main villains, so I imagine that's going to slow me down again.
This is definitely more challenging, but then again, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
6,000 words written today and the total now at 20,000. I'm feeling positive!
