Showing posts with label Fear Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fear Project. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2016
Posting for a Friend
If you're enjoying the fiction I post then you should head over to The Lift, an audio drama whose current episode features a friend of mine, Lee Forman. Lee was one of the competitors last year in the Fear Project and I've really enjoyed his stories since I met him. Check it out, for all you know he could be your new favorite author.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Edit's underway and Writing Lovecraft
I've finally committed to a few things which i'm hoping will lead to more for you to read. I'm setting a date to have my first novel ready for Beta-reading by mid-April. That's a little over a month away and I have to go through it at least once. Also there are some things I need to rewrite as this was something first written over two years ago.
I know, two years is a long time to sit around without being worked but I haven't felt the fire under me until recently. I think part of it has to do with the lesson's I'm learning from the Fear Project. Having a weekly deadline and only a few days to turn around a finished product is tough. Though I feel my editing and proofreading skills have really started to blossom.
Another thing I've learned from this challenge is that a deadline isn't always a bad thing. There are days when I can procrastinate like the best of them. I can find excuses and distractions to keep me busy for weeks. But alas, that's one thing I love about National Novel Writing Month. There is a goal, there is a time frame, there is a deadline.
Since I mentioned the Fear Project above I may as well continue to that now. During this weeks challenge the rules changed. We received an e-mail earlier in the week warning us that things would be changing this week. The ideas which were thrown out were vague but all we knew is that everything was about to get more interesting.
This week we have a guest judge who asked us to write a story where our main character is wet, cold, and in the dark. Then, to top it all off, he would really like it if we went with the Lovecraft style. That is something that I struggle with. It is something that try as I might in the past I've never been able to pull off. I've tried for the weird, tried for the darkness, tried for his settings. Yet somehow it has all escaped me.
Now I love H.P.Lovecraft and his style is amazing in my opinion. He makes wonderful use of the first person. His work is the stuff of dreams, nightmares, or even just the weird. I feel like I did well but this week is still young and we have yet to see which of us the judge likes best.
But that is the way that of life sometimes. All we can really do is hurry up and wait.
I know, two years is a long time to sit around without being worked but I haven't felt the fire under me until recently. I think part of it has to do with the lesson's I'm learning from the Fear Project. Having a weekly deadline and only a few days to turn around a finished product is tough. Though I feel my editing and proofreading skills have really started to blossom.
Another thing I've learned from this challenge is that a deadline isn't always a bad thing. There are days when I can procrastinate like the best of them. I can find excuses and distractions to keep me busy for weeks. But alas, that's one thing I love about National Novel Writing Month. There is a goal, there is a time frame, there is a deadline.
Since I mentioned the Fear Project above I may as well continue to that now. During this weeks challenge the rules changed. We received an e-mail earlier in the week warning us that things would be changing this week. The ideas which were thrown out were vague but all we knew is that everything was about to get more interesting.
This week we have a guest judge who asked us to write a story where our main character is wet, cold, and in the dark. Then, to top it all off, he would really like it if we went with the Lovecraft style. That is something that I struggle with. It is something that try as I might in the past I've never been able to pull off. I've tried for the weird, tried for the darkness, tried for his settings. Yet somehow it has all escaped me.
Now I love H.P.Lovecraft and his style is amazing in my opinion. He makes wonderful use of the first person. His work is the stuff of dreams, nightmares, or even just the weird. I feel like I did well but this week is still young and we have yet to see which of us the judge likes best.
But that is the way that of life sometimes. All we can really do is hurry up and wait.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Overloaded
So... I completely forgot about last weeks blog post and it is shameful. What's worse, I didn't take the time to let people know that I was too busy and forgot about this until Sunday afternoon. So for anyone who was missing my update I'd like to take a moment to say, "I'm sorry."
Well, let's take a moment and talk about projects that I have going right now. Currently I'm working on an edit and rewrite going for the novel, "A Patchwork of Graves." For anyone following me on David Wellington's Fear Project you were introduced to Patch during week three in the story "To Mend A Broken Heart". Many people showed interest which makes me happy to have created such a bad guy.
There is also the Fear Project which occupies most of my weekends. From the time the prompt posts at midnight EST Friday until I send in the submission in, all of my free time is occupied by thoughts of my story. They might be short in length, probably the length of what I've already written, but the wording is so important. I can honestly say that in the last four weeks of creating these stories I've learned about the importance of word choice. It has also helped me in analyzing what I need to cut or change in my own stories to focus on the key elements.
This week I posted a story about Nurse Summers who works in a psychiatric ward. When vampires show up trying to turn her patients into a buffet, she steps up to set things right. I have to admit that I unwittingly have fallen in love with this character. I never thought that I would want to write a vampire story. In fact one of the things that inspired Patch was the lack of a good undead alternative. But it isn't the vampires that make this story unique, this character seems to have a story behind her behavior that makes me want to explore it.
To answer a question which was posted on my comments the last name is a pop culture reference. The nurse originally didn't have a name, yet I felt having her nameless was cheating. When I was thinking of a good name for a woman who is a duty bound slayer of vampires I couldn't resist using the last name. Just think of this as an Easter Egg and move on, the character isn't Buffy and if I decide to write more with her then you'll see just that.
What has been discussed is just about a third of what my project list has on it. Needless to say I'll be busy for sometime into the future working on getting all of these done. But on the bright side, at least I won't be a writer who finds himself without an idea after writing one novel. I will have to say that I've been blessed with a mind full of fun new ideas.
Well, let's take a moment and talk about projects that I have going right now. Currently I'm working on an edit and rewrite going for the novel, "A Patchwork of Graves." For anyone following me on David Wellington's Fear Project you were introduced to Patch during week three in the story "To Mend A Broken Heart". Many people showed interest which makes me happy to have created such a bad guy.
There is also the Fear Project which occupies most of my weekends. From the time the prompt posts at midnight EST Friday until I send in the submission in, all of my free time is occupied by thoughts of my story. They might be short in length, probably the length of what I've already written, but the wording is so important. I can honestly say that in the last four weeks of creating these stories I've learned about the importance of word choice. It has also helped me in analyzing what I need to cut or change in my own stories to focus on the key elements.
This week I posted a story about Nurse Summers who works in a psychiatric ward. When vampires show up trying to turn her patients into a buffet, she steps up to set things right. I have to admit that I unwittingly have fallen in love with this character. I never thought that I would want to write a vampire story. In fact one of the things that inspired Patch was the lack of a good undead alternative. But it isn't the vampires that make this story unique, this character seems to have a story behind her behavior that makes me want to explore it.
To answer a question which was posted on my comments the last name is a pop culture reference. The nurse originally didn't have a name, yet I felt having her nameless was cheating. When I was thinking of a good name for a woman who is a duty bound slayer of vampires I couldn't resist using the last name. Just think of this as an Easter Egg and move on, the character isn't Buffy and if I decide to write more with her then you'll see just that.
What has been discussed is just about a third of what my project list has on it. Needless to say I'll be busy for sometime into the future working on getting all of these done. But on the bright side, at least I won't be a writer who finds himself without an idea after writing one novel. I will have to say that I've been blessed with a mind full of fun new ideas.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Neglect...
Dear Blog and those people reading this.
I feel that I am in need of an apology for I neglected to update you on Friday as was my original schedule. But this weekend has been a busy one, with the first update to the fear project requiring my attention. I didn't know what it would be and the excitement totally got the better of me. That being said it really isn't an excuse for not doing a blog update. So, what has been happening?
First off we are in week one of David Wellington's Fear Project. (http://davidwellingtonsfearproject.com/) head on over and read thirteen pieces of flash fiction that are all based around the prompt "setting." Also, David Wellington has made it sound like the contestants have been kidnapped and we're trying to survive this ordeal.
"So what?" I hear you asking.
"So everything!" I find myself wanting to shout back. As one of the authors writing in this contest not only does it mean I get to put my creativity and writing skills to the test, but I also may get killed off in a story in the process.
I know many writers talk about killing off people who annoy them in our books. There meme's saying
"I'm a writer. If I'm staring at you I'm not being rude. I'm trying to decide if you need to go in my book. If you're a snot, I maybe trying to decide how to kill you."
That being said, some people would like nothing more than to be in a book. I've had several people ask if they could be a minor character in a novel of mine. I even took one of them up on the offer when I needed an administrative character and he fit the bill. But to be killed off by a no-name writer who is just getting started isn't all that exciting. But to be killed off by a horror writer who has published several novels. By a writer who has established themselves enough to make a living off their work. It is like having all your geek senses tingling because you know you could be next.
I don't know if this is really the most positive message that I should be sending. I'm comparing myself to characters in a slasher film, knowing that I could be killed off in some horrid manner, and loving every minute of it.
Sorry for the neglect Friday Blog, but I hope to have an update ready in advance explaining my feelings on Kindle Unlimited by then.
I feel that I am in need of an apology for I neglected to update you on Friday as was my original schedule. But this weekend has been a busy one, with the first update to the fear project requiring my attention. I didn't know what it would be and the excitement totally got the better of me. That being said it really isn't an excuse for not doing a blog update. So, what has been happening?
First off we are in week one of David Wellington's Fear Project. (http://davidwellingtonsfearproject.com/) head on over and read thirteen pieces of flash fiction that are all based around the prompt "setting." Also, David Wellington has made it sound like the contestants have been kidnapped and we're trying to survive this ordeal.
"So what?" I hear you asking.
"So everything!" I find myself wanting to shout back. As one of the authors writing in this contest not only does it mean I get to put my creativity and writing skills to the test, but I also may get killed off in a story in the process.
I know many writers talk about killing off people who annoy them in our books. There meme's saying
"I'm a writer. If I'm staring at you I'm not being rude. I'm trying to decide if you need to go in my book. If you're a snot, I maybe trying to decide how to kill you."
That being said, some people would like nothing more than to be in a book. I've had several people ask if they could be a minor character in a novel of mine. I even took one of them up on the offer when I needed an administrative character and he fit the bill. But to be killed off by a no-name writer who is just getting started isn't all that exciting. But to be killed off by a horror writer who has published several novels. By a writer who has established themselves enough to make a living off their work. It is like having all your geek senses tingling because you know you could be next.
I don't know if this is really the most positive message that I should be sending. I'm comparing myself to characters in a slasher film, knowing that I could be killed off in some horrid manner, and loving every minute of it.
Sorry for the neglect Friday Blog, but I hope to have an update ready in advance explaining my feelings on Kindle Unlimited by then.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Submission Review
Okay, after some reading over at David Wellington's Fear Project site (http://davidwellingtonsfearproject.com/) I have something I'd like to admit. This is going to be tough, we have some good competition and I'm hoping that I can even survive the first round.
That being said, here are some of my initial thoughts about the contest so far. Please remember that these are my opinion from my personal reading. Your opinion may differ and if it does... That's okay.
That being said, here are some of my initial thoughts about the contest so far. Please remember that these are my opinion from my personal reading. Your opinion may differ and if it does... That's okay.
- Favorite submission: Amanda Rebholz, something about her story made me laugh. I know this is horror writing but I honestly found it amusing.
- Biggest Surprise: Joe Sherry, having had a relative whom I loved die of Alzheimers I totally live with that kind of shared fear. I actually had to chat with him for a few minutes about it last night after reading it.
- Common Threads: The only one I found is that many people like to talk about teeth. Laura Hinkle, Catherine Bader, and James Hatton all had references to some degree about teeth.
- Something that caught me off guard: Sam Jackson, because he used a point of view that I rarely ever see used. I love First person past and Third person Limited, but second person is hard to pull off in a normal work.
If you're one of my fellow competitors who is reading this and I didn't mention your name I apologize. I did read everyone's stories and I loved each of them for their own uniqueness. But these are the ones that really stood out to me as I was reading.
Feel free to go read these stories, they're free and who knows you might just discover a new favorite author.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Submissions and FanX
The last few days have been awesome. I have spent some time down at Salt Lake City FanX and really just had an awesome experience. Why you might ask? Well for starters lets look as some of the great guests I was able to walk up and chat with.
Over the few days that I was there I got to have conversations with several authors, some of them well known, others still on the up and coming list. Examples of the more well known are David Farland, Tracy Hickman, and Dan Wells. All of these guys are great to talk to if you ever get a chance.
During my conversations I discovered that Dan Wells had one of his novels picked up for a movie deal. David Farland discussed some free literature for writers available on his website (http://mystorydoctor.com/). While with Tracy Hickman the conversation focused more around the lack of a Killer Breakfast at the event. (If you ever get a chance to go to a Killer Breakfast, do it!)
Other examples of great people that I got a chat with included the Utah Horror Writers Association, a group which I hope to become affiliated with in the near future. Johnny Worthen, who's book Eleanor is on the long ballot for the Bram Stoker Award and who I believe only owns tye-dye shirts. Plus a few others that because of the late hour that I'm writing this I can't remember.
Plus I totally got to geek out and get my pic taken with Matt Smith, Billie Piper, and Karen Gillian. They are awesome and I think I just let my geek flag fly there.
Okay, now that I'm done gloating and being a good fanboy it's time to discuss business. Over at the fear project website (http://davidwellingtonsfearproject.com/) they have posted the submissions for the contest. This is the first impression of the authors who will be competing and you may find yourself a favorite right off. But keep watch, the prompt will be going up on Friday, then the challenge begins!
Over the few days that I was there I got to have conversations with several authors, some of them well known, others still on the up and coming list. Examples of the more well known are David Farland, Tracy Hickman, and Dan Wells. All of these guys are great to talk to if you ever get a chance.
During my conversations I discovered that Dan Wells had one of his novels picked up for a movie deal. David Farland discussed some free literature for writers available on his website (http://mystorydoctor.com/). While with Tracy Hickman the conversation focused more around the lack of a Killer Breakfast at the event. (If you ever get a chance to go to a Killer Breakfast, do it!)
Other examples of great people that I got a chat with included the Utah Horror Writers Association, a group which I hope to become affiliated with in the near future. Johnny Worthen, who's book Eleanor is on the long ballot for the Bram Stoker Award and who I believe only owns tye-dye shirts. Plus a few others that because of the late hour that I'm writing this I can't remember.
Plus I totally got to geek out and get my pic taken with Matt Smith, Billie Piper, and Karen Gillian. They are awesome and I think I just let my geek flag fly there.
Okay, now that I'm done gloating and being a good fanboy it's time to discuss business. Over at the fear project website (http://davidwellingtonsfearproject.com/) they have posted the submissions for the contest. This is the first impression of the authors who will be competing and you may find yourself a favorite right off. But keep watch, the prompt will be going up on Friday, then the challenge begins!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Ready for the Fear Project
There comes a time where I just get absolutely sick of waiting. It was like this while waiting for the birth of my children. I hit a point where I want nothing more than to move onto the next step, to begin the next stage of life. That is where I am right now.
As of February 6th I'll be embarking on a new project, the chance to try to out write thirteen other contestants in a reality show style contest. I have no idea of what to think having even been selected. I figured that I would put in for the chance and take the rejection knowing that at least I had tried. But instead I was contacted by the person running the contest, Author David Wellington.
Now, I'm not a small man by any means, I'm six feet tall and weigh well over two hundred pounds. I have a beard and consider myself manly enough. Yet when I got that e-mail saying that I was going to be one of the contestants I wanted to squeal like a little girl. I have no shame in saying this, but now it has left me waiting for this to start.
One of these days, I will learn patience. One of these days I'll not wish for some kind of instant gratification of my efforts. I'll actually find more productive ways to occupy my time than to sit here waiting. But that will probably have to be tomorrow. For now, bring on the Fear Project.
Twitter: @TravColeman
For more information on the fear project check out this site.
www.davidwellingtonsfearproject.com
As of February 6th I'll be embarking on a new project, the chance to try to out write thirteen other contestants in a reality show style contest. I have no idea of what to think having even been selected. I figured that I would put in for the chance and take the rejection knowing that at least I had tried. But instead I was contacted by the person running the contest, Author David Wellington.
Now, I'm not a small man by any means, I'm six feet tall and weigh well over two hundred pounds. I have a beard and consider myself manly enough. Yet when I got that e-mail saying that I was going to be one of the contestants I wanted to squeal like a little girl. I have no shame in saying this, but now it has left me waiting for this to start.
One of these days, I will learn patience. One of these days I'll not wish for some kind of instant gratification of my efforts. I'll actually find more productive ways to occupy my time than to sit here waiting. But that will probably have to be tomorrow. For now, bring on the Fear Project.
Twitter: @TravColeman
For more information on the fear project check out this site.
www.davidwellingtonsfearproject.com
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