Another Night

Tonight I continued to dredge through chapter ten of my novel The Pneuma Orb.  I say dredge because the first hour truly felt like dredging through quicksand, seeing the other side, knowing how to get there, but unable to make my body move properly.  However, I stopped, prayed a silent request, calmed myself, drank a cup of Oolong Tea, and with a refreshed mine, began again.  I finished the night by writing 2 1/2 to 3 pages.  I feel good about it too.  The story is coming along smoothly.  The characters are growing.  The scenes are developing.  And the plot continues to move. 

I hope to finish the chapter this week.  I’d like to write a minimum of one chapter per week.  Give myself a chance to take it slow.  To revise and edit.  Let my wife read it.  And then revise and edit again.  Perhaps I will write a chapter for the novel one week and then write a short story the week after.  Make a consistent thing of it.  Chapter.  Short story.  Chapter.  Short Story.  It would keep me consistent with posting a new short on Amazon Digital, which I have enjoyed greatly.  I have already published two short stories and a children’s book on there in the past two weeks.  In that time, I have had over 170 downloads.  Very encouraging.  I had hoped  to receive a lot of reviews and comments on the stories, but have only received one.  While this did bug me, after some wise words from my wife, and a good swift kick in the rear from the Holy Spirit, I have realized it does me better when I do not focus on how others view me or my work.  I sleep and write better.  In fact, I think we all do. 

 

Till another evening,

Good night. 

 

James

Published on Amazon!

I decided to update my blog here since it's been a year.  Maybe a little longer.  Well, figured it would be a good idea, especially since I will soon add this URL to my author's page on Amazon.  All right, so that's it for now.

James

Time

Been way too long. This blog was meant to be a posting ground for my novel. A place where people could experience and edit or give their advice. Well, I nearly done with the novel--revamp that I only allow my wife and one friend look at. I decided on the revamp because my overly analytical mind destroyed the first, second, third, and tenth drafts. So, with a new mindset--one without worry or anxiety (Thank you Christ), the process has been smoother, and the story reads a million billion trillion times better. Wow, haven't used numbers like that since 4th grade.

Faith

I will continue to write, to bleed, to sweat, and to scream for this book.  I have faith that it will be worth it.  That Yeshua gave me a talent for story telling.  That it will all be worth it.  Or else, why do I spend each night trying to make this book as beautiful as it can be?  Here is to faith and hope and that I make sure not to leave love out of the mix.  In spite of the frustrations and weariness, this is fun, I love doing this.  I hope we can all say that about what we do.

A quote I did not forget about, but had lost its exactness and, failing miserably, tried to paraphrase for the past two years

“We are nowadays surprised to find that such an official bit of work, made "to order" by a court poet for a special occasion, should be good poetry. But in ages when the arts had their full health, no one would have understood our surprise. All the great poets, painters, and musicians of old could produce great work "to order." One who could not would have seemed as great a humbug as a captain who could navigate or a farmer who could farm only when the fit took him.”

C.S. Lewis--Reflections on the Psalms (Chapter 12)

Boy does this give me a headache

After a suggestion from a friend, I decided to take another look at chapter one.  I feel like an idiot.  The story is there.  Beautiful.  I love it.  But every time I read those first two chapters, there are times where the flow breaks down and just sounds like crap.  Well, after my friend saying the flow was rather choppy I deciding to really scrutinize my work.  Ha, my work, as if anything is truly mine.  But that is a good thing.  Anyway, I realized that I was not consistent with the POV.  This story is third person, yes, but told from the POV of two characters (never in the same chapter).  So why, do I have paragraphs at various point containing third person omniscient POV describing things in a way for the reader.  No no no.  If this is from a character’s POV then some items, or situations, would not be described in such a way.  Which of course, was why flow, especially in the first chapter, was so damn choppy.  Hopefully, I fixed that.  But we will see.

The Should Haves

The Should Haves sit before Medusa's Box, contemplating philosophy and art while animated Camo sheds blood. Their finger's lazily pluck the Lyre's strings while their hearts lust after imaginary gold and pseudo experience. Time whips them by, across the face, over their dusty hearts. Youth turns into decrepit zombies as the songs of later and eventually drum drum hum, over and over in their minds. Opinions grow and become more profound. Words uttered carelessly to eager ears who hear but never listen. "Where are the artists and inventors history promised us?" They will eventually cry, X-Box controller limply hanging from one hand, netbook and iphone in the other. They will continue to scream their questions and cry, never realizing that Hephaestus, their lord and savior, idol and lover, gave them beautiful minds but crippled all ambition. They will weep and cry, realizing that yes, they should have done more, but where and when was the time? There were games to be played, sites to be surfed, virtual heroes to be sung into MMO history, and porn to be searched. Certainly, we should have, they will cry, but it would have been pointless because, well, it would be someone else's fault. Someone else's fault. But such reason won't keep the truth at bay or the bullet from the brain. Should have...should have...should have.