Tumbleweeds

Tumbleweeds are what you might see here for a bit.  Running up the last bit before my Marine Systems Engineering Officer Phase VI board, which means study, study, study.  Still have more drawings of systems and write-ups to get done, so the blogging may be a bit sparse.

That said, once done, promotion!  That and no more drawings, practice boards, studying... ugh.  Not for a while at least.  Then back to the book, back to normal.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled netsurfing.

2013 Goals

Happy January everyone!
I hope that your holiday celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, etc) were fruitful, engaging, relaxing or whatever your pleasure was over the past month or so.  Mine were certainly fun, and I'll be putting up some photos and musings from them in a bit.  Now it's on to a new year, and new plans.

As I've said before, resolutions aren't really my style.  I do, though, plan some goals for the calendar year.  Why the calendar year?  Why not?  So, in no particular order, here's my main goals for this year...

1) Finish my package and pass my oral board as a Marine Systems Engineering Officer.  That's coming up first, and the extra pay of promotion will help pay the bills.

2) Finish Queen's Legacy.  I've been pounding away on this for waaaaaaaaary too long.  Not that there's anything wrong with the progress I've made, but I want to get the draft done.  DONE.  (yes, repeating it in caps doesn't make it better, but it's only behind #1 because #1 is the day job)

3) Finish painting an army for Warhammer, Warmachine or one of the other wargames I play.  I say this because painting models fuels my muse, and is one of my biggest creative outlets, aside from writing.

That's it for the year.  Frankly, that's enough.  Those are my main, overarching goals.  In between is where day to day life happens.  I don't include things like 'spend more time with family' or 'play with the kids more' because in truth, I do that a lot anyway.  I'm always up for family time, especially now that the kids are playing the games I play, but that's another post I have planned.

That's it for now, only three days left of leave, and time to get some homework done.

Why Tuesday sucks

I was just archiving a bunch of things, and generally puttering about my office/gaming room, and I found some old records from the last company I worked for, ICD.  (Great company, by the way.  The Magna auto parts group is generally well run and a good place to work.)

One of the things I remember is laughing with the then health and safety coordinator, Glen, about how Tuesday is the worst day of the week.  Why it was so funny then, I don't know, but it's good for a chuckle.

Here's why (tongue firmly in cheek):

Wednesday: your're halfway there, can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thursday: this was payday for us, and we got paid weekly at the time.  Now, I guess it's further along than Wednesday, but it may be giving Tuesday some competition now.

Friday: TGIF!  Plus, you're always working like mad to get stuff done and put out all the fires that erupt right before the weekend (double if it's a long weekend).

Saturday & Sunday: if I have to explain these two...

Monday: usually spent catching up from Friday's madness, as well as sorting out the week-that-will-be, and new crises occur.  Despite being the first working day of the week, it usually went by really, really fast.

Tuesday: not enough craziness to make the day go by fast, and ideally most of your fires are contained by now.  You're not yet halfway through the week, and time just seems to dilate as the day goes on.  It's slow, boring and serves up only wretched paperwork and those reports you've been 'getting to' for the last two weeks.

There you have it.  Incontrovertible evidence that, many motivational posters notwhithstanding (and many lolcats too), Tuesday, not Monday, is the worst day of the week.

That's all I've got for today.

Sunday

The last week has been really busy, so I'm not going to say much today.  Missed my Thursday deadline, but like I said, some days (or weeks) are going to be like a kick in the junk.

On the bright side, I'm now over 60k words into Queen's Legacy.  On the dark side, it's taken what I think is an inordinate time to do so.  However, that's astern of me, so no point in worrying about it.  Today I beat a mildly vexing scene into submission and made over 700 words.  I'm going to take that to the bank tonight.

Also: Mount Washington already has 1.3m of snow!  Early opening, and my skis are waxed and ready.

That's all for now, watch this space tomorrow for something pithy and more interesting.

Goal setting

Today I pulled out my goals list for 2012.  Now that the ship is staying alongside, I can actually think about it.  It’s pretty similar to 2011, with some things scratched out and some added.  Actually, it’s the exact same piece of paper.  Every now and again I’ll look at the goals I have and make adjustments or revisions.  I’ve blogged before about how I generally don’t make ‘New Year’s resolutions’ per se.  However, I like to have a few, overarching goals that I’m steadily working towards.

This year’s goals are:

1. Finish Queen's Legacy (1st draught)

2. Finish organizing the house (this one will make other military households laugh)

3. Have more finished models than I started with this year (even one will do)

4. Assemble all the models waiting in the pile

I’ve already readjusted for this year.  Why?  Well, I looked at the goals I had, and realized that I have a pile of models in boxes that I have yet to put together.  I’m also short on space at home.  Thus, I changed the painting goal to one of assembly, so I can get everything built and on the shelf.  The exception is those models that need to be painted during assembly, like troop transports.  Those, though, can be made into sub-assemblies.

The point of that is to show that goals can and should be flexible.  Adjust and adapt to what you think you can do.  Right now, I may not get the ‘sort out the house’ goal accomplished as the sailing schedule for my ship was pretty busy this year.  We’ll see.  At least I have a target.

This brings me to the nature of goals.  Make them things you can actually do.  Not just within the realm of possibility, but within your ability and means at the time.  Also, don’t lie to yourself about them.  If you get them done, great.  If not, then adapt your plan.  Just keep working towards them and don’t make excuses to yourself.  I’ve been working on Queen’s Legacy for a helluva long time.  Changing jobs to the Navy, not enough ass-in-chair time and other reasons have caused that.  Mostly insufficient ass-in-chair time, and really, that’s all on me.  Same as with changing modelling from painting to assembly.  I won’t be able to do both, so I picked the one I need to do before the other.

Don’t confuse goals with a mission or vision.  It was a key distinction when I worked in industry, and remains so in the military.  Your vision or mission may be the ultimate end state.  For example, if I had to put my vision of my (future) career as an author into words, it would be something like: “To continue to gain readership and make a living by producing quality stories that people want to read.”  That says nothing about how to get there.  It’s a nice vision, but it’s something to keep on a plaque somewhere in the office.  Goals are the nuts and bolts steps of how to get there (or stay there).

The point of my ramblings:

1. Set goals, but be flexible
2. Make sure your goals fit your vision, but also that they are doable.
3. Don’t confuse your goals with your vision (and vice versa)

Creative regeneration

I’ve been bad the past week. 

Okay, those with gutter minds (like mine) can just stop the giggles.  I’ll wait.

…

Okay, now, what I really mean by that is I’ve given myself a week off of writing.  That sounds counterproductive, you’re thinking.  And you’d be almost right.

Instead of having my daily writing goal, I took that out of my agenda and replaced it with painting time.  That is, painting wargaming miniatures.  Why?  Well, to be honest, I found that the constant push to get writing done coupled with our sailing time, I was a little burned out.  So, to regenerate my creative juices, I figured I’d do something different and fun for which I had little pressure to produce.  I’m not saying my ‘ass in chair’ time is all that awesome (that’s another post entirely), but sometimes it’s nice to have the pressure off for a bit.

I also find it relaxing to sit and paint models.  Throw on some music, and I’ve got a happy evening going on.  It’s something creative, something I’m good at, and at the end of an evening or several nights, I usually have something completed.  Very different from the book, which is a longer term endeavour.  That sense of creative completion is very important to me.  It gives a feeling of success that just makes you feel better.

What has this done?  Well, I found this weekend, by the time I was done everything I was doing, I felt like I had gotten some creative bugs out of my system, and was starting to think about the book in the off hours (meaning the times I wasn’t actually writing it).  This is a good thing, because now I’m looking forward to writing more rather than feeling like I’m just heading back to the computer to slog through a scene that won’t end.  No doubt about it, I love putting a story together, and playing in my world and with my characters.  However, it is work, and sometimes I just have to push through to the other side and get it done, knowing I’ll fix it in revision.  

That said, I get the same feeling of success from making a scene work in the book, or finishing a particularly vexing one that I had to wrangle into existence.  It may not be that ‘finish factor’ but it’s something.

Now I’m starting to ramble, which will lead to digressions, which will completely shatter the original topic.  Thus, on that note, I’m done for today.

Storyboarding

A few days ago, I sat down to write.  It was a pretty cool scene, at least the way I outlined it. However, as I sat down and began to put words onto the screen, it started to wind it’s way into a straggly thread and I started to lose the flow of events.

The solution?  Storyboarding.

Now, this wasn’t the kind of storyboarding like they do for movies and TV.  Believe me, I only wish I had the artistic ability to draw anything even close to that.  Instead, I used a flowchart.  I just charted the direction I wanted the action to go, and filled in details around each piece of action.

This gave me the basic flow, and where the action would happen.  The paper itself becomes the time axis, and that way I can make sure not only of the flow of action, but also that everything happens in the appropriate time.

Did it help?  Yes.  Granted, I deviated from the plan a bit, but frankly, that’s become an expected thing.  As much as I plot the whole book out scene-by-scene, each scene evolves and grows (or shrinks) as I write it.  Nevertheless, I found graphically plotting out the sequence of events worked wonders in enhancing my scene descriptions.  I have a feeling I’ll use this technique more and more, especially for complicated battle scenes. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up using action figures or RPG miniatures to help block out a scene.

The Return

Aaaaaaand … we’re back!

After a long time away, I’ve decided to refresh the blog a bit.  You may have noticed the new look, and eventually I’ll figure out the adding links business.  Probably add in some other details and generally freshen up the place.

Also, post more frequently.

Now that the ship is alongside pre-refit, that should happen.  Of course, I could always get posted to another one, so we’ll see.  If I’m lucky I’ll get a backlog put up to carry through.  If not, then there may be a few dry spells.

Be that as it may, I know both my vaguely loyal readers (hey, my wife and mom count as readers!) will be happy to have any updates.

So, for now, expect a few updates a week.  More if I find something interesting, less if I’m super busy.

I’m also going to diversify the content.  While writing and creating is the primary purpose of this blog, I’m going to add more geeky hobby stuff and probably more rants and thoughts too.  Why?  Well, first because I can.  Second, if I only post word counts or similar things, I can’t imagine you find it any more thrilling than I would to read.  Also, being yet-unpublished, my advice amounts to a diary of the methods I’m using.  At the end, we can decide if it actually worked.

So sit back, open a BEvERage of your choice, and maybe you’ll find something interesting (or at least hang out for some laughs).  Chime in on the topics that interest you (or grind your gears), and let’s have some fun.

Captain America - A Review

I saw the film Captain America a few days ago, and frankly, it was excellent. 

A few caveats; I'll admit, I can be easy to entertain.  Put a good (or even decent) story in front of me, well acted and throw in some cool scenery, and you've probably got me for about two hours.  This does not mean I don't enjoy good films, I just feel no need to be a snob about 'art' films vs. blockbusters.  Entertain me for the two hours and I'm good.

Also, I've never cared that much for The Avengers as a comic book.  It's okay, but never hooked me, y'know?

That said, Captain America the film hit all the right buttons.  The acting was well done, the visuals were great, neither overshadowing the film or lacking.  The overall plot was good, and even had a few surprises.

*Possible spoilers ahead, read at your own peril.*

What really made this film, was the story 'moments.'  Times where they worked to bring out the characters but did so in the story.  The characterization of the Captain/Steve Rogers:
Doctor Erskine: "do you want to kill Nazis?"
Steve Rogers: "I don't want to kill anyone, but I hate bullies, no matter where they're from"
(Okay, I'm probably not remembering the dialogue verbatim, but you get the point)

Same at the end, where he's on the radio to his girlfriend and they make a date, even as he flies the plane into the arctic icecap.  The final scene is well done too.  At every turn, and kudos to Chris Evans for the portrayal, they reinforce his character without hitting the viewer over the head with it.  They wrote a story that wraps itself around both the characters and the plot, showing them both smoothly.

This is where the film succeeded and went beyond my expectations.  It was well worth the fare.

That said, stop with the 3D already!  It wasn't necessary in this film, and most films don't need it either.  It won't save a bad story, and a good story stands on its own with or without 3D.  I had laser surgery to get rid of my glasses, I certainly don't want to put them on again for your film!

*ahem*

Thor, the preceding 'Avengers movie' was similarly successful.  I'll give Captain America the win for being better written, but one thing I like about both is they set out to do something (i.e. introduce their respective characters) and did so very successfully.  They didn't try to overreach their goal, and by the end of each film I felt satisfied with the story and its outcome, and each film succeeded in its mission.

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, wait aaaaaaalllllllll the way to the very end of the credits and there's a teaser.  You won't be sorry.

That's my nutshell review.  Good movie, go see it.
That and I like to see examples of good writing, where the plot, characters and settings interweave and reinforce each other, rather than glaringly standing out saying 'look at me!'  It's the kind of thing I want to accomplish in my writing, and I've always preferred it in my reading.

A Wet Head

Today I am in the process of reshaping my beret.  As anyone I did basic training with will tell you, my beret and my head have waged a never-ending battle.  Then, the dress regs changed and we were allowed to wear the ship's ballcaps off-base.  Yay!  My beret slid to the bottom of a drawer, biding its time, waiting for the chance to make my head look ridiculous.

Well, today I pulled it out in preparation for our journey to England, where we shall be on training for the last four months of the year.  Apparently they don't like ballcaps, so back to the beret it is.  Now I've been sitting in my chair reading, with a soaking wet beret on my head so as to reshape it.  This time, I've learned a few tricks and seem to be winning.  However, it is a canny thing, that beret, and I shall have to keep a close eye upon it.

This week as been slow, as I've mostly been readying my packing/repacking lists and sorting plans for England.  True, we don't leave for another month, but I've got leave back home in between and a chance to swap out some of my kit for things at home.  Frankly, being away from home is a pain in the butt when you've got to prepare to travel to a third location.  That and some days have just been wasted.  I didn't get as much writing done as I desired, but this weekend shall be the time I make up for it.  Hell, Wednesday I didn't do a think.  I sat in my chair after supper to read for a half hour while digesting, and woke up hours later and crawled over and into bed.  Very sad, but at least I felt great the next day.  Sometimes you gotta listen to the body.

I also tried more barefoot-style running.  After that first time, my calves were screaming in protest for the next three days.  This time, not so much, though experience told me to stretch a bit extra afterwards.  That and my legs didn't feel like a group of dwarves had surrounded them and beaten them with warhammers, so maybe this style of running is for me.  More data will tell.

That's about it for now.  Have to get to some more writing.  My recent successes (read: useful daily word counts) seem to beget success.  This is nothing new, as with many things, the more success you have, the more you are spurred to do it.  Happens all the time with painting models.

With that, I leave you to write words and fight with my beret.

Some random coolness

I have nothing for today, must write not blog.

For your pleasure, the Millennium Falcon, 'cause, why not.

This bit of coolness brought to you by my lack of werewithal to bring you actual content.

But it is cool, isn't it?

A day of victory

Today was what I like to think of a day of victory.

On the writing side, I bashed out over two thousand words.  In a mere two hours.  I took my laptop to the park near the Admiralty House museum on base and sat in the shade and just slipped into the zone.  It was good but reality did come calling.

On the professional side, I passed my Naval Engineering Indoctrination board.  Actually I passed it last Wednesday, but I'm including it here because I feel pretty good about the whole weekend.  Since it's my blog, I can do that.  :-)

I even tried an experiment when I did my workout today.  I've been reading about the concept of 'barefoot running' lately.  Now, you must know, normally I hate running.  Can't stand it.  It's too slow (and I admit I'm no sprinter) compared to my beloved bicycle or inline skates, it's too boring unless you can find a trail to run, and frankly, it tends to hurt.  After a friend sent a few articles about running barefoot, using the body's natural running stance (more of a midfoot hit rather than a heel hit), and looking at some interesting shoes (Vibram Five Fingers - www.vibramfivefingers.com, not endorsing, just passing the interest), I decided to try the whole idea out.  I went to the track over by the base hospital and spent the first ten minutes of my run barefoot (on the grassy part, not interested in the gravel portion, thanks), then put shoes back on and continued for the remainder.

Observations; I found that the barefoot stance was more natural, and wasn't as jarring as a heel hit that one uses with a more traditional running shoe.  I definitely used some muscles that haven't been used much lately (hello calf muscles!), but it was very interesting.  I can honestly say it didn't suck as much as I find running normally does.  That said, the track was still boring.  I'd be interesting to try a trail, but would want some shoes and before I actually lay out money for these odd 'foot-gloves' I think I'll continue my experiment for a while. 

The benefit of running for me is that in the military, it's an easy piece of kit (i.e. shoes) to take with you, and you can do it anywhere, from a treadmill to a flight deck. 

Add to all of that some laundry done and I think I'm going to toast myself with a nice, cold beer.  Tomorrow is another day, and another good one for writing.  Now if only it wasn't so thrice-cursedly hot.

Switch in focus

Success this weekend.  Roughly 1500 words.  It started with an agonizing ripping of even the most willing verb onto the page, and by the time the weekend was done I was pouring them out.  Well, relatively speaking.  There was studying to be done as well.

This next week promises to be a busy one.  Exam on Friday so studying and preps will take the lion's share of time.  Words shall have to wait.  Once this week is done, though, I can regain balance.

That's it for now.  Just happy to crank some words out and finish a scene that was being ... fussy, for want of a better term.  Oh, and I just looked at the bottom of the page.  Page 100!  Whooo! (yeah, I'll take the small victories.)

Words vs words vs words

Nothing like being on the opposite coast from home to give you time to write. I'm in Halifax right now on another training course. Seems endless some days, but that's what you get when you change trades.

The downside: my family is still on the west coast. This sucks, but my wife and I decided that any course (or combination of courses) under a year would be a 'no move' if possible. Saves on the upheaval.

The upside: I have only my course to worry about, and the after hours are free to write.

Have I been ironclad in my discipline and written every day? Heh. This is me we're talking about here folks. However, despite my procrastinative tendencies (yep, I did just make that word up), I have actually managed to churn out more words. When added to the pile I've done since the last time I posted, I'm cruising right along.

(And no, there's no reason besides life and other craziness why the last post was so long ago. Deal.)

So now here I am, a naval engineer now instead of MARS, and ready to finish the book this year. I'd say earlier, but courses and other job-related things (those things that pay the bills right now) have a terrible habit of getting in the way.

An interesting thought came to me as I was walking back from the grocery store. I was laughing to myself (inwardly, of course, else people do tend to look at you funny and cross the street) as I carried my parcels down the street. Why was I laughing? Well, I was thinking about Queen's Legacy, and how I'll definitely need to rework things in revision. Then I wondered how my words could ever be as good as many of the published writers I read every day. Then my mind turns back to the fact that all those people are just people, like me, who have put a lot of work, practice and effort into their writing. So my mind returns to its original confident state, thinking that with enough work and practice, so too can I go there.

The point of my rambling is not to draw down the accomplishments of published writers, many of whom I enjoy and/or revere. Rather, to remind myself that it is mere mortals who write these words, and pour hours of effort and work into their texts. Like any other profession, it's skills are learned through doing. I can do this. Maybe no one will want to read my works. Maybe they will. I'll not know unless I finish, and get them out there.

That's my thoughts for today. If you've stuck through my rambling, then good on you. Right now I think it's time to get back to writing, then some technical drawings.

Resolutions

Another batch of words today. All is good. Now on to ironing, shining, and homework to get ready for a week of class.

Normally I don't make New Year's resolutions. I have nothing against the idea, just that I figure any day can be 'day zero' if you want it to be. Maybe just the length of vacation I had this year makes it feel a bit different, or something. However, this year I've resolved to plug at writing every chance I get. 15 minutes here, an hour there, etc.

Will I finish the book this year? I don't know.

I do know that if I don't get back on the horse I've neglected for too long, I definitely will NOT finish. That is not acceptable.

Hit the stride today

First off, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Happy any other reason you can think of. Good mood today, and I'm lookin' to share the joy.

I hit a pretty good stride today. The last entry was what, July? Yep. After a whirlwind in August of getting my family moved to the west coast, then slamming into the MARS III course like a winged brick hitting the ground, I've had the holidays to reclaim my writing.

Well, that and actually dig my way through all the boxes and such to get at my stuff. Let's just say the movers made a mess of everything. Just put it wherever, and it took three days just to bring order to the madness and get sorted enough to have bedrooms, living room and kitchen that could be productive. Oh well, part of the job, I guess.

That said, I did pass the course, so now I'm in MARS IV, and if all goes well, I'll be in the fleet sometime in May/June. Yay me! First, let's pass the course. Gonna screw with the writing something fierce, but balance, young padawan, balance.

On the writing front, I got fully reacquainted with the WIP, and tonight I'm bashing out some serious forward progress. Not sure how many words yet, but at least a thousand or so. Just taking a break to get some tea and loosen the mind a touch. I didn't revise anything, just reread some bits, checked my references, and carried on. Well, I did add a note on the hardcopy I had to include some description of the main character at one point. Realized I didn't have any! I'll get that on revision, but it's good to remember. Not such a good thing to forget. Just as I promised myself not to go back all the time, I also promised to make notes and have a list of things to remember, whether it's names for bit-players I made up on the fly, or just what colour someone's horse is. It's small things, but if they get mixed up, it just makes me wince as a reader.

Right then, enough of my rambling, just rejoining the blogosphere. Pipe the carry on.

Love interests

I got to thinking about the last post I made, and I wondered to myself why the idea of the love interest is so important.

The simple answer would be to just think about it for ourselves, why we consider the ones we love to be important. Now, before you click on another favourite site, I'm not going to get all philosophical on you, because that would be boring. At least, boring for me to write, and I try to avoid that at all costs. But I digress.

I think one of the most compelling aspects of a story is to make the reader care about the main character (or characters). How to do that? Up the stakes. What's a great stake? The character's love interest. While it can be the parent-child or sibling or other relationship, one of the most powerful is the romantic love interest. One glance at the 'romance' section (especially the size of it) in any bookstore tells you how powerful a story element it is.

Thing is, it's not just in the romance genre. The amount of romance in SF/Fantasy probably rivals that of romance itself. Not to mention all the other romances going on in the rest of the fiction section. In my own WIP, it is going to be one of the primary plots, and a driving force to evolve the main character. Why? Love affects us in ways we just can't always explain. It can be a strong motivator (just look at the effort spent on attracting and keeping someone), it can be a source of comfort, fear, jealousy, embarrassment, wrath and the list goes on. Probably a longer list than most other story aspects. Give your character a reason to love, and they now have a reason to fight, to quest, to push harder and faster than the antagonist. Apply some threat, and you've got an instant (if not fully fleshed out) story.

Now that I think about it, it can apply to all the other sides of love too. For all the parents out there, you know what I'm talking about. Put your child in danger and every parent turns into Conan, or Rambo.

So, shortly I'm bringing my main character and her love interest together. Sparks shall fly, though I think in a non-typical way, and we'll see. Maybe they'll work to derail my carefully crafted plans. Then I'll just have to bring them back into line.

WIP progress: doing okay, but a test for my course in the Navy derailed some of the work last week. Still cranking out words, though.

There's my thoughts for the day. Anything to add, feel free...

More Words

Finally braced myself and dove back into the WIP today. After a rather slack weekend (pure indulgence, but I feel no shame), I've pounded out a grand total of 817 words! Don't all go nuts at once now. This brings my total to 12 324 words. Hmmm, doesn't sound as impressive saying it out loud again. (yes, I'm saying it out loud as I type, you can't hear it, but it's happening)

Still, I was going to stop as I have some ironing and other chores to do before bed but I couldn't. That, more than any abstract word count, is what felt good. That continuous push, when the CD has ended, the lights are all out because you haven't turned them on and you are ignoring chores because it's just hitting the page. I won't say easily, because I really had to work for these words. Maybe I've shaken the rust off, but just getting them out. Hard to describe, really.

So now I'll waste some time writing a blog entry. Naturally. :-) Nothing like a little procrastination before shining shoes. Bleh.

It does feel good to get back in the groove. Now I just have to maintain that forward motion. Today's scene was a bit of a character builder, though I didn't get through it all. A bit slow, but I'll save those considerations for the rewrite. Next up, the meeting of the love interest!

It's here!

Now my writing binder has arrived! Along with a box full of D&D books and assorted other bits. Spent most of last night sorting everything into my quarters here on base. This morning I opened up the binder to my outline, and realized I have a lot of review to do. Time to get my head wrapped back around the book. Nevertheless, it's a relief to have it here to work on, even if I have to wrap its schedule around the Navy's.

Tonight, my goal is to review and get back on it. Tomorrow I'll begin throwing some words at the page and see if I'm 'on' or not. Of course, if not, I'll just keep going. I'm already itching to fire my keyboard at certain scenes, but patience. No need to rush in and make a hash of it. Get it all sorted out first. Which is typical for me. Take some time to get my head sorted, and I can do a much better job. Rush in and it's all a mess. No offence to those seat-of-the-pantsers out there, but that's not how I work.

Now, off to work.

On its way

My writing material is now on its way to me in Esquimalt, courtesy of the most wonderful woman in the world, my wife. This is also the woman who, when I suggested giving up an engineering career to join the Navy, wasn't surprised. The one who said, basically, 'okay.' So yes, the most wonderful woman ever.

Along with inline skates and several D&D books. So now I just have to wait a week or so for the stuff to arrive, and remember to never, ever, outline in hardcopy only ever, ever again. Never. Ugh.

At least it's on its way. Then I can begin plugging away again. Hopefully spend an hour a night or so. At least work towards that, but we'll also see what the Navy loads me up with. Once I get settled with the course routine then the writing schedule will fall out also.

I also have had some readers on the first four chapters that I've written. Responses are positive, but also some good criticisms. I've filed them away for now, as there's no going back. Even over the things I've seen with Queen's Legacy. Just made the notes, and filed them away. I have to push forward only.

At least I've been able to control the growth of new stories. I often get good story ideas (or even average ones with potential) at the most unlikely times. I try to record them, and just stuff them in a folder in my desk for later use. Otherwise, I'll have a half-dozen starts and outlines, with nothing on its way to completion. Mind you, some are pretty interesting. Maybe some outlining while I wait for Canada Post to work it's magic wouldn't hurt.

For now, I have shirts to iron and some shoes to polish.