Green Lantern

Don't think I ever got around to saying anything about the movie here.


I liked it very much. Been waiting for it for ages, at least since the TV Hulk series. They changed one big thing... no one I've talked seems to know... and of course a few small things. Like how the alien, who crashed on earth and gave him the ring, died. But that wasn't so bad.

One person I talked to thought they should have spent more time with the end fight, they may have a slight point.


But here's a cartoon I think fits whatever you think of the movie.

http://www.gocomics.com/adamathome/2011/07/30/

Pardon my venting

 I've said this before here and most probably will say it again.



I need some good news about my writing. A sell or three would be best but I might settled for some longer personally notes which basically says I'm doing better and/or am close. But I guess that won't be coming either.

They did it again

For some reason whenever Fantasy and Science Fiction takes more than a week and a couple days I start feeling like this might be it. Supposedly the longer they take the more chance of them at least taking a second look at your story. My mind knows that for me time doesn't mean anything. Six weeks two months its all the same as the usual one week.


Two weeks to the day and not even the your story couldn't hold my interest, Just the it didn't grab me line.

I know its bad but every time they're late I start feeling it. It's worse now because I've been feeling that it will happen again soon. No logical reason to feel that way- you might say a supernatural reason, my wife is praying maybe that is the reason but as I said no logical reason. My writing isn't getting better, it's either getting worse or staying on the same level.

I've said that before and I probably will say it again a few times. Nothing I do helps.

Starting a new novel--story

I posted this to another blog in response to a comment the writer of the blog.

I thought it might be of interest to anyone reading this that is interested in how I write.

The subject manner is starting a novel and/or story.

I find that for me it depends. I just started a novel–mostly to get it out of my head even though I need a new one–and it’s been hard and easy. The easy part is that I know what I want for this scene and some of the backstory– the how and why he is in this situation and who he is.

But the hard part is trying to get around not using passive verbs and such. (Supposedly readers want active verbs so editors think they make a better story--personally I think it only works sometimes, other times it doesn't sound any different) 

Sometimes I write an opening– usually for a story– and it takes me twenty tries to get what I see in my mind onto the paper. I just can’t twist words around to say what I want. That has nothing to do with passive or active verbs etc., it has to do with being able to say something right.

Other times though it flows easy no problems, no worries.  

My inner critic can act up at times but so far I don’t see a pattern of when it decides to come out and play. When it does, sometimes I can ignore it but other times I spend too much time trying to placate it.

Rejections

Most editors say no in a nice way, some even try to make it sound like it's their fault that they rejected your story.


Then there are the editors who don't pull their punches.

"This is a 22-page story, and until page 10, it's just monotonous"

Of course  Ideamancer was a little better, they said another story was sweet, but not enough character development for them.

Dreams

Just wanted to say that I had two dreams last night about a character I was reaing about The MC Marla Mason of T. A. Pratts series.  Hmmm, can't find the title of the series but there's more info here http://marlamason.net

I think this is the first time I've had two dreams about the same character in one night. I've dreamed Honer Harrington, Dray Prescott, Harry Dresden, Star Trek and surprisingly Murder She Wrote but one at a time.  

http://marlamason.net

Marla is a sorcerer and hidden leader-protector of a certain city. She takes on all comers-fighting dirty if need be- even though she usually leaves the citizens alone.  The first dream was longer, which isn't unusual for my dreams, even though I can't recall the first part- which also isn't unusual- But she wanted to talk to this lady who had some magical powers and was being careful but during the conversation Marla turned into  a Gorilla, as I recalled it had something to do with the conversation,  she went off the the woman and somewhere turned into a something. A man sized wingless bird or??? But she kept talking as if she had always been that way. I figured she will soon realized what happened and turn herself back but I woke before it could happen.

The second dream I forget but it was kinda short.

Nook and an E-book to buy

I believe I mentioned I bought a color Nook.

Here is more on it.

I bought a book from smashwords. Took longer than a desk computer because of the way they do the keyboard--you have to change it to numbers and capitals - but it worked. However I had to find the book. After a search I found it in downloads but after fiddling with it for a while I couldn't figure out how to move it to library but just before I put the Nook to sleep after giving up there it was on the My Shelf. Okay maybe it does it by itself but takes a moment or three. I know I did it once before but a special menu came up to shift the book to My Shelf. No menu this time but it's there now.

Oh and for this book it took like thirty second or less to download. The other two books I've done took a bit longer... I wondered if something went wrong but it's all there.

I'm still having problems getting the music to keep playing. It's suppose to go to the next song but so far hasn't. The song I click on plays fine and the controls work but so far it doesn't go to the next one. A Music video played fine also. Picture and sound were good quality.

BTW:

The book I bought is   CONVERGENCE. by Karen T. Smith

Synopsis: 

Anya is pissed when her family moves from earth to the Space Station Convergence. Everything is strange from the food (soy paste in all its colors and forms) to the frequently changing gravity conditions at her new high school. Anya soon uncovers a plot to take over the central computerís core processor. While this might not bother your typical geek, Anya is anything but your typical geek. She has discovered that the central computer is self-aware, and that computer is Anyaís first friend on the Convergence. Anya will do anything to protect her computer friend, Isis, even if it means breaking into Central Computing and telling her other new (human) friends about Isis. it 

It can be found here 

http://tinyurl.com/6ajpabw    on Amazon

http://tinyurl.com/653evrr  on B&N   

smashwords.com has it too.   

Sounds good. I think the first sentence is rather long but other than that it's good... so far :)   

Three details

Saw Green Lantern Today.

Wow,  Niiice special effects.

Not too bad a story either. They changed a few things from the comics but I think kept the basics. At least on how he got chosen and about the guardians.

Except for one very important detail.  They kinda of used it but not in the right way.


-------------

Finally received my certificate for getting a Honorable Mention in WotF a quarter ago. Niice. My wife wants to frame it but I don't know. She wants to know where the one I got around three years ago is but I have no idea. Well, actually I have a couple ideas but not sure.

-------

This was the last of my writing vacation. I go back to work on Monday. July11.
Didn't work on "Angel Kin" half as much as I thought I would even though I did finish chapter three with a great car chase. And have a couple of ideas for other chapters.

Worked on New Mage but didn't finish it like I planned. For someone reason I didn't feel like working on it the first week. But I may have worked that out now that it's kinda late. I am definitely on my way to the conclusion, very soon now -like after the scene I am working- NA will realize who the bad guy is and what he did to her but at the same time she will have learn to apologize and to reach deep down into her emotions for her friends. And somehow I have to get two of those friends to the bad guy's place. Either captives she has to rescue or get there to help but she doesn't need it.

I also as I mentioned before wrote a few stories. So I did get some writing in. I also spent time with my Nook, reading and figuring it out, and sent in a bunch of stories some of which I had to format correctly. I may send in two more tomorrow.

Even more stuff on my writing

Of course got my first rejection from those I sent out a day or two ago. Less than 24 hours. JJA is pretty quick but I've heard he likes writers who have some credits. (This note should have been posted before the one on JJA but some how wasn’t) If that is true I wonder if he reads the cover letters first. Those with not enough credits he just sends back. That wouldn't take him long. 

Finished another story... that's six I think during this writing vacation. The one I just finished and another one used to be one story. A while back on the Baen Universe forum I posted a story for critiques. I was told there wasn't enough story so I added more story. Probably too much but the story sat for a while. After thinking on it off and on for a while I decided I wanted the original tale rather there was enough story or not but the new stuff wasn't bad. So I ripped the story apart and turned it into two separate stories. I ended up changing the original from Third Person to First and changing a couple of details and I think I added a couple of small things. Then I worked on the added story. I had to add a few details to it, finally added a knife fight to give my MC a final danger scene.

I have also started chapter eight in New Mage novel. I won't finish the novel by Monday when my vacation is over, been doing too many stories and other stuff I needed to do. But I think I have enough of an idea to do two, maybe three, more chapters. I just need to figure out a good way for my MC to get the address of someone who attacked her. Right, I have sneaking into a hospital and checking their records. But I don't know.

And I've done some significant writing in my Kin to Angels book. My MC in that one, was just involved with a car chase with competitors to the group of bad guys she is involved with. She doesn't know they are bad guys yet. 

Not sure how much writing I will get done with my last two days of vacation, have an eye exam and Green Lantern to see. 

But at least I finished two novels this last year and got eighty to ninety percent of a third one done. Plus quite a few stories.

John Joseph Adams

John Joseph Adams.   He's been an assistant editor and full editor for a number of magazines and anthologies.  And he's been a... I don't know personal frustration... for years. No other editor has read more of my stuff. Even Dean Wesley Smith has read only thirty to thirty-five of my stories. JJA may have read sixty or more. I've mentioned this before but it's been awhile.  Anyway, or has he read that many?   As stated in an earlier post someone said he only buys from writers who have a few sells.

I did some research at Lightspeed and Fantasy Magazine. He edits both of those even though supposedly there is some editor change going on at Lightspeed even though I haven't found anything on the magazine website that states that. Which may not mean much but getting back to my topic. I checked about ten to fifteen stories at each mag. I found one writer that may have had only three published stories. All the rest had quite a few more. I have seen writer blurbs in other pro markets that state that this is the writer's first sell or they list one other published story. Seemed like I saw that when JJA worked for Fantasy and Science Fiction but can't be sure now. To be fair four or five issues is not a very large sample and a couple of those writers listed non pro markets as well as pro.

So maybe I was right in my somewhat snide comment about him reading the cover letters to check on the credits first.  In which case how many stories of mine has he actually read? And should I keep trying with him? He did send my a personal note a few years ago which would have been right after my Honorable Mention sell to Strange New Worlds but I don't know if I listed it at that point.

Of course if he does read all stories the question reminds of how far has he gotten with my stories- just the opening, a few pages or the whole thing-- but that's a different discussion and the same one I can ask of any editor. If he does read my stories he most probably knows why I haven't gotten any other credits. After this amount of time that's not puzzlement.

I'll probably keep sending him stuff, who knows I may get Blessed again and at the very least he will write me another note. But it would be nice to know if does read them.

Interesting new book form

http://tinyurl.com/43r9uhn


I don't believe it is a kindle killer but it might catch on. So we can choose, hardback, paperback, tradeback, now Flipback. 


Actually for my books I would like a tradeback but if it sells big time a flipbacks would be okay with me. 

Speaking of SF TV He He

http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2011/07/05/

Sent stories out

Spent all afternoon sending 12 stories out. Three via snail mail and the rest via various online methods. Would have been one more but I had forgotten that a certain anthology wants only snail mail submissions.

I might wait until I send out the next one to F&SF.

There are a couple other flash markets I could have submitted to but I didn't feel like doing more right now.


Actually, it took me so long I'm surprised that JJA over at Fantasy Mag hasn't sent me a rejection already. Yep, he's that fast.

Speaking of fast IGMS sent me a rejection in only one month... wonder if they are getting faster or if it was my writing.

Happy Fourth of July

Anyone reading this who isn't a citizen of the pardon me for a moment:



But this is a great country. Some have stated that they are sure that citizens of other countries believe their country is special too.  And I'm sure that is true and with most countries it's true.


But there is something unique and even special about the USA. The way were founded, our constitution, our freedoms, the way we share, work together to help one another etc..  Even with the way our economy is doing right now we are still doing better than a lot of nations and from the past and the determination of many there is reason to believe we will get back to where we were.

True we haven't done everything right... Duh.  Very few people would insist on hiding that but we have also done a whole lot of things right and we should stress those also. Sometimes we have done something bad because that is the way it was--it was done that way but we won through that idea, sometimes we do something that was for our well being- our interests but not necessarily for anyone else. Sometimes we sided with the lesser of two evils like when we allied with Russia during WWII But we are working on that too.

Over all though we have done more good than harm-both privately and through the government and helped tons of people. I mean TONS.



So HAPPY 4th of July and thanks be to God for our Freedoms

I may say more about that later but not now.


But if not a citizen may you have a good day working, writing or studying.

PS on inpiration

went to Fantasy MAgazine to double check their word county for stories saw the pic at the top of page of the current issue of FM.  It hit me... my muse got very interested and I have the basic idea for a story. Not sure when I will write it but hopefully at least start it next week. I still have the other story to do for that one Cover image at deanwesleysmith.com  The romance story there that I left a link to earlier. I also need to do one with what looks like a naked very skinny woman sitting on a rock in a cold country. And I need to finish using the second half of a story-- while back I added to a story what I thoughy would give it more of a story--- decided it wasn't what I wanted so I finally ripped out the original but what remains could be a good story on it's own. Anyway I need to finish redoing that story.

In other words I'm getting to wordy here trying to say I may not be able to start this story next week.

The Fantasy Magazine pic is at http://tinyurl.com/3fmodqa

Procrastinating-needed work

Spent a bunch of time to day--in two sessions-- cleaning up my WIP file.  Work In Progress, deleted ten to twenty files I don't need anymore, placed a few in certain folders. Rearranged a bunch too. Found three stories I had finished but never mailed out. One I knew about but thought I had sent it out once or twice. The other two I forgot about. So along with moving a couple of stories I need to revise I have something like six or seven stories finished. Three are ready to go, except for addressing them and all that.  Three or four I have never revised and one or two has been critted and so needs another revision. One last one is four The Fourth quarter of WotF. I need to finish the first revision but then wait until our, on hatrack,  groups formed to crit each other stories. Quarter three's deadline passed a day or so ago so we have time. The groups should be forming about now.  One guy is doing all the work... he deserves a standing ovation for his work.

Anyway, cleaning out the WIP folder was needed work but at the same time it was procrastination.