tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82314228363154767032024-02-02T11:34:43.777-08:00THE MECHANICAL ROOMCreative Writing, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Novel, Publishing, Nevada Wolf, Author, Manuscript, Story.Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-30098368966587541722011-08-28T09:34:00.000-07:002011-08-28T09:34:13.441-07:00The Keeper
The Keeper
I look outward, unto the world,And seaNothing.
A vast swaying desert of haze gray
I live within this old lighthouseI am its caretaker I am its consciousness
I used to think this journey was my own
Now I see, this is about herThis is her story
She is the seekerAnd I am the one she seeks
I’ve stood alone on this rockInside this lighthouse longer than I care to remember
Each day I Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-18494129765161643472011-02-15T21:54:00.000-08:002011-02-15T21:55:45.916-08:00Short Story Length
S5PST3MNJTGM
What is the average length of a Science Fiction / Fantasy short story?
I think in general Science Fiction and Fantasy tend to run a bit longer than the average Fiction or Non-Fiction piece. I believe they usually run about 10-15 pages. The general description says "less than 7,500 words."
I have about 4 pages at 800 words so If I keep going at that pace it Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-70765547394389146172010-12-31T10:08:00.000-08:002010-12-31T10:08:03.353-08:00Creating My Antagonist
So after many months of pondering, I have finally put together a plausible and tangible antagonist for my book "Dis-Ease" (working title). My protagonists are average citizens turned mental patients thanks to some of the side-effects of their cure. However, Jacob, my main character, is out to prove to the world that the government is wrong and that these people are not crazy but Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-29084037813207815432010-11-13T10:36:00.000-08:002010-11-13T10:36:44.679-08:00A Series is Born
After writing my previous blog entry "Prequels and Sequels: Are Series More Successful?" I took a great deal of time (about 5 months hehe) to think through and weigh out my options for creating a series out of my novel "The Mechanical Room." I wanted to see if it were even possible to string together the ideas, plots, and stories from the other novels I had formulated, and it turned out Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-17432932933542504992010-06-16T09:22:00.000-07:002010-06-16T09:22:44.455-07:00Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired!
Never try to write, or do anything for that matter, when you are on the verge of collapsing into your keyboard. I have been working too much lately at my job and haven't had a chance to take a break. I took some time off a while ago and I think I felt a bit guilty about that because I had just started (within my first 3 months) and already I was taking 5 days off. So now I've Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-88457885528595503642010-04-26T11:06:00.000-07:002010-04-26T11:40:18.947-07:00Prequels and Sequels: Are Series More Successful?
The thought came to me the other day, as I was watching something... I can't remember exactly what I was watching, but I remember something that stood out to me. I remember considering taking part of my novel and turning it into a prequel, and then followed by a series that I came up with a while ago. The series was going to be a stand alone series based on a totally different Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-43660022078752307242010-04-13T10:31:00.000-07:002010-04-13T10:31:41.696-07:00REJECTION!!!!
Every true writer experiences rejection of some kind or another. I don't think the reality of writing would be as conscious for me if it were not for this part of the process, and we all go through it and you know I think if you take it in strides it can really make you a stronger writer.
So far I have received two rejection letters from two separate agencies. Neither one of them Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-79998391087285464882010-02-25T20:19:00.000-08:002010-02-25T20:19:42.400-08:00Never Change YOUR Style
This came to me the other day as I was thinking about how competitive the writing market is. When I thought about how competitive things are and how much agents and publishers would like for you to change some things to be more marketable, it occurred to me how easy it is to interpret that as changing your style. Style is very important. There really is no right or wrong; Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-42592137948133640372010-02-01T15:30:00.000-08:002010-07-16T15:12:15.781-07:00Now They Tell Me!
Okay, so back in December is when I submitted my various materials to these agencies for review. I am almost 1,000% positive that at the time they preferred, no... required, SNAIL MAIL only. Now, I go to their websites to check for any updating news and here's what a lot of them say now:
I hesitated about publishing this post, as agency secrets are best when kept, you know, Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-14376058007677177312010-01-12T13:19:00.000-08:002010-01-12T13:19:43.598-08:00Back In The Saddle
Whew... I don't know what has been going around lately but it sure got to me. I caught a cold at the beginning of last week that totally knocked me out of commission for a few days. I hadn't been sick in a long time (I even "knocked on wood" whenever I said that statement), but I figured I was about due for a cold. Luckily for me it was just a cold and not the flu or anythingNevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-45320758639312184232010-01-04T09:49:00.000-08:002010-07-16T15:10:36.265-07:00Welcome To The New Year
Back to work, for those of us fortunate enough to have a job, and for those of us who are less fortunate it is back to job hunting. Either way, we welcome a new year with new goals to accomplish.
At the beginning of every year I start a new journal. I look back on my journals of 2009 and I see all of the things I'd set out to accomplish... the trials and tribulations.
One of my Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-55151284065751810502009-12-28T13:35:00.000-08:002009-12-28T13:35:23.524-08:00The Human Body
The human body is amazing to put it simply. I like to compare the human form to a machine, and thus in a great deal of my writings I tend to have cyborgs, androids, robots, and synthetic humans.
When I started writing The Mechanical Room, I was having some health problems and struggling to find the right amounts of fiber to help with my digestion process. I'm trying not to be too Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-45117205998257061132009-12-24T10:45:00.000-08:002010-07-16T15:15:43.133-07:00Merry Christmas 2009
Here in southern California, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. I try to think of all the good things and how much was accomplished this year. Many lives around the world that experienced tragedy and loss and many lives that experienced triumph and victory.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are traditionally known for being times where one is most thankful for things in life (hereNevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-80089868176791989992009-12-23T11:35:00.000-08:002009-12-24T09:22:46.433-08:00Magic In The Mechanical Room
"I use magic, in some ways, as a metaphor for technology. For example, I have these sisters who have books called Journey Books, and they can communicate using these Journey Books. When they write something in one, it appears magically in its twin, and the person who's carrying the twin can return messages in the same manner. It's email! Big deal... I use magic as a Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-53843982390813212052009-12-22T08:59:00.000-08:002009-12-22T09:02:10.335-08:00Writing is my Therapy
I'd found an old typewriter a long time ago... it looked like a bulky briefcase, but you flip the top up and inside was a typewriter. I think that might have been the little thing in my life that sparked a passion within me. I was ten years old and just returned from my first Taekwondo tournament. I wrote as best a ten year old could... all lowercase letters in a single Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-11293329070352628262009-12-21T13:50:00.000-08:002009-12-21T13:50:51.995-08:00Ladies and Gentlemen... John Noah
Character Profile: John Noah
Age: 30
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 140 lbs
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Black / Dark Brown
Birth Date: September 17, 2079
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Scars/handicaps: Inflicted with Miller’s disease – a terminal illness with a 100% fatality rate. Has a birth mark on the lower back of his neck.
Education: Barely graduated from high school and Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-79968950583647603872009-12-18T13:17:00.000-08:002009-12-21T12:06:54.253-08:00Wonderful Prose
"It was early spring, and the night was cool but not chilly. There was a fragrance in the air, washing down over the city from the high meadows in the mountain behind Riva and mingling with peat smoke and the salty tangy sea."
- David Eddings' Castle of Wizardy: Book Four of The Belgariad
Wonderful prose! One of my favorite descriptive passages from Eddings' series and this book.&Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-65339422428707428122009-12-17T13:41:00.000-08:002009-12-17T13:41:52.534-08:00A Unique Voice
Most of my work tends to focus on a few central characters, however never neglecting the characters that also move the plot of the story along. Given that I tend to have a number of characters, I try to make sure that each one has a unique voice.
Sometimes this can be tricky for me particularly when the characters are related (i.e. father and son, brothers, etc.). One thing I try Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-87704629756486999552009-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:002010-07-16T15:18:23.035-07:00My first guitar!Christmas came a little early this year for me. It is my first guitar and so I am learning how to play it. My fingers hurt! Damn it! No one mentions this when they talk about learning to play the guitar. Does it skip their minds? As I sit and type, I can't feel my index finger strike the plastic surface of these keys! But it's okay... it's all part of theNevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-66711918825008518402009-12-15T12:40:00.000-08:002009-12-15T12:40:32.945-08:00Chapter by Chapter Synopses
Some authors do them and some do not. In the 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market Gregory Frost says the following in regards to outlining (making fantasy real):
"There are writers who stick to a form--who outline everything in detail and then stick to the outline right to the end. There are writers who, like Raymond Carver, follow a sentence down a rabbit hole and don't know Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-50245826168148383492009-12-14T10:31:00.000-08:002009-12-14T10:32:21.813-08:00Dwarves
The Germanic / Norse mythical creatures have enticed and tickled my curiosity for a long time now. When I decided to write my book, The Mechanical Room, I didn't want to focus on creatures that I felt were typically explored in fantasy and science fiction. Instead, I wanted to focus on the little creatures that tend to be supporting characters to the taller races. I also Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-17282927651189084992009-12-11T11:14:00.000-08:002009-12-11T11:19:46.586-08:00A pain in the arse!Editing, revising, revisions... revising revisions... my least favorite part of writing a novel. Writing the novel was not so bad. I cranked out an average of five pages an hour, completing a chapter of 20 pages in a span of four hours. I wrote maybe eight or sometimes twelve hours a day. No big deal right? Now that the manuscript is complete, I've come to find that Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-56325752172081245262009-12-10T13:41:00.000-08:002009-12-10T14:12:42.368-08:00Inspiration
Writer's block = Kryptonite to a writer.
Writer's red sun = Inspiration
How does one find inspiration when attempting to tangle the daunting task of writing a novel, short story, etc.? There were many times during my writing process that I hit a wall and it caused all creativity within me to cease flowing. Usually my own thoughts caused me stress which blocked my creative flow.
Nevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-33348701042976363722009-12-09T22:28:00.000-08:002009-12-10T11:29:50.229-08:00Mailed My First Submissions Today!
And they're off! I woke up, bright and early, today at 7 AM. I know the post office doesn't open until around 9 AM but you know how sometimes you are anxious and sleep seems like an option that can wait? Well, my body seemed to think so.
I'd been writing, and rewriting, and rewriting some more past midnight last night (December 8, 2009) up to this morning just before taking myNevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231422836315476703.post-72596043697765237212009-12-09T13:48:00.000-08:002009-12-09T14:13:00.817-08:00What's the Difference Between a Query Letter and a Cover Letter?
Sheesh! Trying to find this information proved to be challenging even for the almighty GOOGLE. However, with our powers combined we formed, no, not Captain Planet, but a powerful team with the answer to this ever puzzling question.
Here's some information from a website that I think said it best:
What's the difference between a query letter and a cover letter? Author and instructorNevada Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527657986746334006noreply@blogger.com0