First of all, Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served or are serving in the Military. Thank you for your service and dedication to your country.

Second, I didn’t write a lick yesterday (except for my daily update. I’m sorry about that and I’ll strive to do better today. I was more than a day ahead so tonight I’ll be able to do some writing and get caught up and perhaps a little bit ahead of where I was. I didn’t need a break, it just sort of happened.

We’d planned on doing some shopping yesterday. So we all got ready and we didn’t go shopping. These things tend to happen from time to time.

My Favorite Daughter had a tryout for Club Volleyball and a party to go to. We wound up working on a present, buying cards, and going to the try out. Then there was the getting ready for the party, dropping her off, watching some TV with the wife, reading some more of Frankenstein, a couple short stories in a couple anthologies, a couple short stories in Lightspeed and Apex, and then picking up the my favorite daughter from the party.

It wasn’t that I didn’t think about writing or what I could be writing, or coming up with new ideas for short stories (which will have to wait), but I didn’t sit down and write. It was nice just to spend the day with the wife and my favorite daughter.

Today is another day. I don’t have the day job off so I’ll be getting through that first and then it’ll be onto words! Or so I hope. We’ll see what life throws at me as the day goes on. I’m sure there’ll be something that will demand my attention.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yesterday was a great day for writing. I managed just over 3000 words. I’m currently a day ahead (again) on my word goal for November. I’m not only happy with my progess, but happy with the words I got down. The tension is ratcheting up nicely and hopefully I’ll get the crew into a new, unexpected situation soon. I’m having a blast.

I still need to work on my plan for going indie (self-pub) on my books and I need to determine cost. I have a lot of books and I just need to get working on it. I mean, I have 6 books in various stages of completion meaning I could release 6 books next year if I felt truly ambitious, but I think that’s running a little too fast. I had planned to do four when I released Astel, but things fell apart, life happened, and the books didn’t get out. 2013 will be a year a lot of things will happen.

My Favorite Daughter spent yesterday at Sea World. It was cold, it rain but no at Sea World. I thought that was funny. It was 50 degrees by the home, and 60 down by the ocean. That’s totally backwards. But her, and her friends, had a good time.

Today she had club volleyball tryouts. It’ll be an exciting day.

The wife and I have a few things to do, so writing won’t happen until much later in the day. We’ll see how many words I can get done on a busy busy day. I know I can get at least 1000 words, I just need to find some stay minutes.

First I have to get through the day unscathed.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yes, I’m still doing this NaNoWriMo thing. Guess what? I’m still on track to get my 50,000 for this month. I’m only guessing here, but I think I might make it this year. Yesterday I got another late start and still got 1820 words. This puts me just a tiny bit ahead of schedule and I like that feeling. I’ll be doing some words today, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to knock out nearly as many as I would be able to. Just so much going on this weekend.

I’m still using my one sentence per chapter as an outline. I know overall what’s going to happen in the book and it’ll be fun to write the end. Just like with the first book everything that happens in this book will happen in a compressed timeframe. I’m still making references to things that happened between the two books and this will give me potential fodder for short stories. The joy of this is that I could potentiall write a collection of short stories between the two books if there is any demand for it.

One thing I’ve given a LOT of thought to is going the Indie Route for V&A Shipping. I’m coming up on the one year timeline since I first sent out my books to the publisher I’d met at World Fantasy Con. I’m a very patient person, but I think, now that I’m getting a sequel written, it’s high time to get V&A Shipping a book cover and get that one out into the wild and see what happens. It’s not that I don’t want to see my books published by a publisher, it’s that I feel I can get more traction getting the books out there.

I still get email from fans who’ve found the podcast and they wonder where the sequel is. Well, I’m writing it and now I’m going to self-publish the first. I’ve already had editing done on the book, I just need to get those edits compiled and get a cover. I’ll work on the layout which will be fun, and I’m off to the races. Then it’s a matter of getting the second done.

Beyond that, I also have a few other books that are ready to go. Not just done,but I’ve gotten edits back from friends and I’ll send them off to a pro editor and we’ll see what happens. If I play my cards right, I could potentially have 5 or 6 books out next year. Yes, that’s  highly ambitions, but I’ve already written them. I’ve already had editing done. I just need book covers.

Like I said, I’m patient. I need to work on a release schedule, I need to get covers done, I need to make sure edits are complete, and I need covers. All of this is a time and money investment at this stage. It’s all in my head and I need to write everything down and get a calendar and just go for it, I think.

It’s not something I’m jumping into lightly (as I did with my first book, Astel, which I still need to get some good editing done on).

What do you think? Is it high time to start pumping out book? I am thinking of not just getting the books out there, but also podcasting, doing print editions, setting up a store from my site where I’ll sell signed copies. There’s a lot to do. I thought of doing KickStarter for this, but I think I can do this on my own without a kickstarter. I’ll be assuming all the risk. I have no gaurentee. But I’ll be able to sell ebook, print, signed, and audio versions of anything I release.

Yes, I know this isn’t a new trail. It’s been done by many, but by going out on my own (without an agent or publisher) I’ll also have full control of everything I release. All with no gaurentee that I’ll see any results. I just need to give it time to grow. Time and a little bit of money. That’s what I need to do this.

I think I’m beyond the actual thinking stage of this. I think I’m about to enter the planning stage. 2013 is just around the corner and I think it’s the year I go for it.

Let me know your thoughts. I’ve got words to write.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yesterday was another one of ‘those’ days. Work was a little stressful with the demo I had to do. I’m not sure why, but I find those to be the most stressful of my job. Especially when I need to demo to a client with higher-ups watching my every move. Even though I ran through my script multiple times, I still had a minor error that made me pause for 5 seconds before realizing what happened and why.

Immediately after work I was off to an advisory board meeting for the Grossmont Union School District. My Favorite Daughter’s digital arts teacher invited me. It was fascinating to see how advanced the computer art classes are, the video technology available in the schools, the photography class. I was impressed and this was just one school. We went over the proposed curriculum and wish list purchase items. It was a great process. I’ve been invited back to sit in on their IT advisory board.

One of the things I found amusing in the meeting were the wish list items. I work for AT&T. When we need something, say software licenses for 8 servers, the cost could be $8000-$10000 dollars. This is a small amount of money when you look at a company as large as AT&T. We might spend $100,000 on a server farm. These are just the cost of doing business. The amounts aren’t anything that cause me to pause. SO when we were looking at the wish list items and the amounts ranged from $1700 for software and gear up to $10,000 for advanced video production, green screen equipment, and the like.

I didn’t think anything of these amounts. They were so small why would they need advisory board approval? But then I needed to think in terms of school budget. The teacher that invited me said that they needed approval for anything greater than $500 and just because it’s on their ‘wish list’ doesn’t mean they’ll actually get the equipment. For what they’re putting into these classes, I’m impressed they can do the work they can with such small budgets. It would be nice if classes and classrooms like this were spread across the country, but I know that they’re not. I’m glad I live in the area that I do that my favorite daughter has every opportunity to learn in these class rooms and learn the skills she’ll need to be successful.

After that it was home for about 15 minutes to gobble down some food and take my favorite daughter off to a private volleyball lesson. I stayed for the hours, helped shag ball, and was impressed that even though she was sore and tired, she did well. I’m impressed with her as always. I might be biased, but I’m still impressed.

Finally got home. I had a headache again. I watched Big Bang Theory with the Wife (the one with Wil Wheaton and Levar Burton). Easily the funniest episode so far this season.

I wasn’t going to write. I didn’t have the energy to write. I didn’t want to write. I hadn’t written the day before what did it matter if I didn’t write? My headache wasn’t getting any better, I was tired, I just wanted to go to bed.

I hadn’t written the day before meaning I’d used up my day ahead I was in my NaNoWriMo word count. If I skipped I’d be playing catch up. I would fall behind. I didn’t want to fall behind, I wanted to at least stay on track. I’d been doing so good. I was at an interesting point. I might as well and try and write something. Even if I just wrote for a little bit I’d be better off.

So I wrote 1972 words yesterday. I still had a headache (it rained again) but I felt really good by the time I went to bed. With no demo scheduled and just regular work stuff to deal with, and the rain out of the way, and my favorite daughter no having anything planned (that I know of, that could always change by the time she gets home from school, or in five minutes) I should be able to stay on track today or maybe even get ahead. We’ll see what happens.

I’d better get the day job out of the way.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yesterday was a work day in the office. I got a lot accomplished at the office and I’ll have the first of many demos of an application I’m working on. I was fine while in the office even though the two coworkers that showed up (most of us telecommute most of the time) were both mucus filled and there was much coughing and sneezing. I’m normally very resilient to colds so I wasn’t in fear for my life.

I had an eye doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. His office is now next to where the wife works. I think that’s great. It’s a much shorter drive to an easier to get to location. At least for me it is. Anyway, according to the eye doc, my vision hasn’t changed in about 4 years. That’s how long I’ve been going to him. As far as I know it’s been 10 years or better since my vision has changed. He said that’s not normal. Usually in that time he’ll see some variation, but my eyes are healthy inside and out. I got to see the inside images of my eyes. That was pretty cool. My eyes were dilated, but my prescription and I was on my way.

I stopped next door to surprise the wife. She was surprised. I had a growing headache and I had assumed it was due to my eyes being dilated. Things came in and out of focus, there was some light blur, and my eyes just felt weird as they tend to do after dilation. We got dinner as my growing headache suggested to just get food and take it home.

The drive home was interesting and I started to wish the wife could have driven both of us. The headlights were all kinds of blurry. I’ve driven while sick and my eyes dilated and in all sorts of conditions. I know how to look away from the the lights, but this just hurt as I drove. My eyes, obviously were taking in too much light. By the time I got home I had a raging headache and I assumed it was from the light into my eyes.

WRONG!

This morning is rained real good. <sigh> Had I been thinking clearly I would have known it was going to rain and taken my ‘good’ sinus medication. I could have avoided a debilitating headache and actually gotten some words written. As it stands, I wrote no nanowrimo words yesterday. Do I feel bad? No. I was a day ahead already. I probably could have gotten something written, but I feel much better having hit the hay early and woke up with a clear head and the sound of rain on the rooftop.

Today is a new day. I may have missed a day, but I’ll more than make up for it today! BRING IT ON! Woo!

I’m off to get the day job out of the way, then look out!

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

I wasn’t going to write last night. I had intended to watch the election coverage while writing as much as I could. As it is, the news loves to make it seem like the race is closer than it really is and that kept me on the edge of my seat. Needless to say there were no real surprises for me. I won’t discuss politics here as everyone’s opinion is their own and if I start doing that on this blog I’ll never get any writing done.

So…you may read that first paragraph and think.. wait, you weren’t, but you were. Well the coverage sucked me in and I had decided that I was a day ahead of my NaNoWriMo goal so I could let a day slide. Well it was very dark outside so I had thought it was later. But it was only 8 or 8:30. Pfft. Okay, I’m not a slacker. I spent 45 minutes writing and knocked out 1100 words and I feel good about those words. B.T. Justice pretty much writes himself. One of the characters had a change and will grow a backbone in V&A II and that should be a startling revelation for B.T.

Not much news. I hope you informed yourself before you went out and cast your vote. I hope things went your way in the election. If not, educate yourself for next time, read up on the candidates and props, encourage others to do the same, and we’ll do this voting thing again. I for one am glad we won’t be bombarded with campaign signs and ads any more.

I’ve got many things to do that don’t include voting, so…

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

I’m on track with my writing and V&A Shipping II is shaping up quickly. This, of course, is how NaNoWriMo works. Fast action, fast-paced plot helps to get the words out quicker. That wasn’t my initial intent, but it’s hopping along nicely. I’m happy with the way the words are coming out and the way the characters are working together. I even like the new characters I introduced. I had thought about including another new crew member, but we’ll have to wait and see. Right now it’s in the fun stage. Then I need things to start to go horribly wrong. Right now they’re just getting annoying to the crew.

My Favorite Daughter had another private lesson yesterday. She did AWESOME! So proud of her. She may end up with a couple more this week leading into tryouts for club. She’ll have a few weeks off before practice begins for travel club then it’s volleyball volleyball volleyball all over again. The private lessons has given her some great conditioning exercises that I’ll be forcing helping her to perform on a daily basis (or at least every other day). These will build her core strength and help he pound that ball. 🙂

There’s a lot to do on the day job today and I’ll have my 1667 words to write later today. Busy busy busy. I’d better get at it!

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yesterday was a good writing day. I got some things done around the house, exercised, took my favorite daughter to another private volleyball lesson, made shrimp fried rice for the first time and wrote a bunch. How much is a bunch? Roughly 3500 words. The wife had to work so I had a few free hours. I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked, but I did get some writing done.

*Note: After my favorite daughter’s volleyball lesson we went to That’s Amore pizza here in Rancho San Diego. As far as I’m convinced, best pizza in this area! Great stuff. All fresh, made that day, family owned. I’ll be going back for sure. Very reasonably priced as well.

So that means I’m back on target for NaNoWriMo and hopefully today I’ll get a little bit further ahead. Just like with book I my main POV characters are Vic, June, Joey, and B.T. Justice. If you listened to the first book, you know that everything happened in a short period of time. This book will be similar, but about a year has gone past so there are some things that are referenced as past events. These, obviously, took place during that year. I may go back and write short stories or novellas to fill in those gaps. I’m trying to not do that too much, but there are some fun stories that could be written.

Right now I’m missing World Fantasy Con 2012 up in Canada. I’m reading a number of blog posts from folks up there and I can tell I’m missing a good time. I know it was a blast while it was down here, so I’m sure it’s a lot of fun. My partner in crime, Mike Plested, is there and good things are happening. Nothing I can talk about, but good things are happening. Once I’m able to talk about anything, I will make sure to let you know.

I’ve got at least 1667 words to write, so I’d better get on it.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!

Yesterday wasn’t a good day for words. Sure I got a couple hundred written, but I had intended to write much more than I did. Too much happened that distracted me from what I was trying to do, but hey, that’s life. I will use this weekend as best I can to get ahead on my word count. At least that’s the plan as of this morning.

My favorite daughter had a private volleyball lesson yesterday. It was an hour that did her a lot of good. She has another today, another Sunday, and hopefully there will be more in the near future before she starts club volleyball in December. We’ll just have to wait and see. At first she did want to go, but she’s happy she went because the person we got her lessons with played volleyball at UCLA and was supposed to go to the Olympics (injury prevented him from going). He’s a really nice guy, tall! and knows all the little things that she hasn’t been able to learn through repetition, repetition, repetition. He’ll let he swing at a few, have her make adjustments, then swing at a few more. This should help her adjust to what’s been missing in her swing all along.

We also went to visit my mother-in-law and father-in-law. My father-in-law and I talked a little politics, but we’re both not enamored with either candidate. That goes for pretty much every level we have to vote for here in California. It’s a very depressing political season where the candidates do so much slandering of each other that I don’t want to vote for any of them. I mean, can we get a politician worthy of votes? Seriously? This is the best our state and country have to offer? Seems like we need to have a fire sale and clean house and put people into office that want to work for the people, not themselves and special interest. </political rant>

We also watched a bit of the Sandy Help charity event. I knew the damage on the East Coast was bad, but holy crap! I didn’t think it was that bad. Seeing the extent of the damage is heart breaking. It was annoying with the “How does it feel to lose everything?” junk the reporters were doing, but the entertainment was incredible.

This weekend is going to fly by if I don’t get some words written this morning. So…

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!