I think one of the reasons I have such a hard time writing a blog is that I don't feel that I know and understand any one thing enough to write about it. I sit here at my desk trying to think of something interesting to write about, the gay rights debate, religion, video games, cats, health issues; and all I can think is "I don't know enough about anything to write about it". So here I am just writing on a whim about whatever pops into my head because I am too insecure to write on just one topic.
I've been doing very well at keeping up on my resolution to finish my novel this year. I've only added about 600 words in the last week and a half, but I have cleaned up a lot of technical stuff. I find that trying to write the last ten thousand words of a novel is a lot like trying to lose that last ten pounds; it just doesn't want to happen. So like losing that last ten pounds I just need to work extra hard at finishing those last few thousand words. Hitting the 100k mark, mind you, is just a rough gauge I set for myself a long time ago. The story is done and all I really need to do is make sure the telling of that story is exciting and entertaining. I also need to make sure it is understandable and relate-able.
I think I've done ok in making each character's personality unique. I was worried when I started that this would be a difficult task. Each character is alive in my mind and writing them down is easy when you can picture their body language, hear their voice, and know what decisions they would make and reactions they would have in different scenarios. I've also found that character development, growth, and changes have been an easy, and not to mention, emotional experience. It is amazing how attached you get to the characters you invent.
There are some things in the book that I am conflicted about. Certain titles I think I am going to change like making a Captain and higher rank and renaming a religion to something more unique instead of a commonly used name. These things I don't think will change the readers experience as much as they are just personal preferences for me. I don't know, we shall see.
A lot of people have been asking to read my transcrpt and I keep turning them down. I have several reasons for this:
1. I am so very insecure about my writing. I know I have a lot to learn and I am a writer out of love for it, not to make money. I am scared shitless that I will be told that I am no good and will never be good at writing stories.
2. I don't want anyone to read my story until I feel that it is complete. I want them to enjoy it in its entirety.
3. There ain't nobody gonna steal my work!
Well, there you have it. I set out to write about random things and ended up talking solely about my novel. I guess we all know what's been on my mind the most lately. I'll try to give more updates about this work in progress as I actually make more progress on it.
