Getting into the Habit

I've decided it's time to form some new habits. I have several in mind, and they all have to do with creativity and communication.

1. Starting tonight: post a blog 5 out of 7 days each week. Subject matter: whatever the heck I feel like writing about.

2. A Sketch-a-Day. Got this idea from imagesbyalex on DeviantArt. I've got to start doing that daily sketch. This is above and beyond homework, incidentally.

3. Writing Castle Zierath material five out of seven days. Something, anything. More than just a paragraph.

So, those are my current habit goals.

Charge!

Back to the World of Blogging

I really do enjoy getting here and blogging. I do have lots of things to share.

I thought I'd go a little deeper into talking about my novel. I have renamed the novel. It is now called 'Zierath, Lord of the Alliance.' I'm going to change the series to 'A Castle Zierath Novel.'

The biggest critique I've gotten since day 1 was the massive number of characters and points of view that I had in the book. I finally decided to break up the book and will make it into a much larger number of books, each from a different person's POV. This first one, obviously, will be from Zierath's point of view. I'm still using many of the same chapters, but I've had to add many chapters to it, introducing characters slowly and then getting the characters on the path towards where I want them.

I also made the story a much more 'personal' one for Zierath. Before he was doing it because it was 'important to do,' but he now is looking for a specific enemy who is tied to the story.

I also get to expand on the various relationships, as well as dig into the psychology of a race of people who live thousands of years. How do these powerful beings stay 'human' and connect to the 'short-lived' without becoming callous, cold, and uncaring.

As I said in my previous post, I do have one chapter I desperately need to re-write. It is a chapter commentary of racism. I'm happy with most of it, but part of it still needs to be written. It's not quite gelling in my mind.

I do hope I have a chance to send it off next week so we can actually get the silly thing published soon. And I hope you all buy a copy. (Shameless plug. Hey, it's my blog. I can shamelessly plug if I want to.)

Projects, Projects, and More Projects

You know, sometimes life just gets away from you just a little bit. Things that you really enjoy doing, such as writing in a blog, move aside so you can get some other things done, also which you really enjoy.

Projects, projects, and more projects has been the theme for the fall. Those of you who know we well are thinking, 'And this is different from your regular life how exactly?' Wise guys. Yeah, I know I love my project lists and always having something to do (or something to ignore, it feels like sometimes), but I'm feeling very good and optimistic about everything at the moment.

I do have my on-going work projects that I'll mention now: The Upward Bound Newsletter, published monthly. The UB Webpage, published weekly (roughly), and the 2008 Summer Yearbook. I finally finished naming all the pictures now, and only have the city trip to complete. Of course, that's something like 12 pages of material...

The project I'm most proud of finishing on time was the actual writing process of my novel. I said I was going to finish it by August 31st, and I did. There is one chapter I want to go into and edit seriously, and then I need to send it in for editing review, but I am very proud of the progress I've made. I'm about to start compiling book 2, and there are a number of other Castle Zierath projects in the works.

I do have more projects that I'll be sharing in the next could of weeks, but those are the ones that are taking most of my mind power right now.

I am also going to give a Moira update. She's adorable, but I know I'm biased. Here she is with her own glass of water. First time drinking from a big girl cup. Water was everywhere a few moments later...

Moira is also mobile. Major project: babyproofing. Incidentally, she loves scattering DVD boxes, especially Buffy the Vampire slayer, around the TV room.

I'll be posting more regularly again. Ciao!