David T. List's Blog, page 6

August 2021 News

Happy August to you. I'm posting this two days early because I ain't messing with it over the weekend. Lucky you.

Writing/Editing 

Edits go well. I'd mentioned that I'm making substantial changes to a real tosser of a character. The character's arc makes a heroic upturn maybe halfway through his story. I've finally arrived at that point, praise Imala. Our tropical hero has had his nihilistic arse dragged and torn all over the jungle. He's found his spine, made a heroic sacrifice, and is about to d...

July 2021 News

Morning guys. Happy almost independence day to my fellow yanks. 

Writing

Edits are still underway. In fact I've written 15,000 new words based on my editor's feedback. The direction I'm going feels like the way the story should have been from the beginning.
Added objects: 

Yet another character hellbent on committing suicideMore unrequited love

These don't in themselves feel like strong selling points. I promise they're both overflowing with goofs and gaffes and good times. 

Kayak biz

Did I mention th...

June 2021 News

 Hi there hello. This one snuck up on me.

Writing

I'm still editing. Certain scenes have to be rewritten and it's just weird going back to writing mode after all this time editing and nitpicking. Blank-slate mode as it were, for some of these scenes. I don't always feel like what I'm producing is improving on what I already wrote and tweaked. That's the tough part. Once that insecurity creeps in it attacks your motivation. 

I'd love to share some more of the artwork Felix has produced for the cover...

May 2021 News

Happy Spring to you fellow northern hemispherans. Here comes a brief one. Sorry, there's work to be done. That's why I'm a day early. 

Writing

Edits are in full swing. Clarifying some references to in-world terms and geography. Ripping out some unnecessary details and over-done descriptions. Doing a bit of an overhaul / attitude adjustment on a certain prevalent monk character named after a rock vegetable. You know the one: 

Basalt Kale & Irdessa the Undying
- by Felix Ortiz
Also, doing a run through...

April 2021 News

 I'm so glad it's warming up. I prefer being outside. None of that was an April fools joke.

Writing

Last month I forecasted that I'd be in edits right now and here I am. I also mentioned the high praise my editor gave the book in his general notes / reaction. It's a good thing he complimented the book. Not for my ego, but for what came next. The edits. 

I've worked with an editor before and with beta readers. Now and then they'll utterly miss a point I thought I nailed. That kinda scuffs but it's e...

March 2021 News

Hi there, hello. 

Last month I told you I might reach out to my editor and ask him how it's going while I sit anticipating the 280,000 words worth of work he's about to drop in my lap. Well I broke down and emailed him "May I ask your impressions of the story thus far?" 

I'll spare you the details, but his response was very flattering. Better than I hoped for or expected. I'm going to be riding that high for some time. For you, please take it to mean that an industry professional has given the boo...

February 2021 News

I'm murdering my Facebook Author page. Facebook only shares posts of that sort of pages if you pay them money and frankly, no thanks Mark. Follow my regular Facebook page if you must, or Twitter, or sign up to this very blog for email updates. I bet that's a thing this blog can do. Maybe. Unsure.

Writing

Last month I mentioned the editor I'd corresponded with. We've moved forward. I'm paying him in pounds and he's paying me in attention to my manuscript. He estimated some 5 weeks initial turn-arou...

January 2021 News

Starting around 2016 it seems, the trend of calling the current year a dumpster fire really kicked into high gear. It carried on to 2017, 2018, 2019, then sorta faded from common use, either because people were sick of hearing it by then or because they realized the truth: When a whole calendar year is an actual dumpster fire, it doesn't have to be announced. 

I sincerely hope the scholars of disaster and erudites of historic calamity who deemed 2016 to be any kind of landmark for atrocities have...

December 2020 News

 I'm not sure how but this 1st really snuck up on me. Oh, it's the 2nd. Maybe because of all the chaos in the world right now? Anyway,

Writing

So here's an update. As you know, I've written the monk story and the barbarian story (leaving only the conclusive war story) and had every intention of releasing them both at once, giving the reader the chance and unique experience to read them in either order. What a fantastically outlandish concept! Among readers there would be a 'Team Ausgan' and a 'Tea...

November 2020 News

I'm going to have to catalogue the recent music, games, books, films I've experienced and come back to discuss them later.

~

Tuesday, October 27th Jason Amani Tasi left this world for the next. 

I'm going to miss him but not near as much as his wife and their children will. I hate that we can't continue all the projects we had in mind but in the grand scheme, none of those really compare to what he already accomplished with his family and his legacy. 

Thank you for helping me and my family memoriali...