Chapter 2 of Manuscript 1 has been posted. You can access it by:

• Clicking Manuscript 1 on the toolbar on the top right
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the index page for Manuscript 1
• Clicking this link, which will take you to Chapter 2 for Manuscript 1

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

The post Post 008: Manuscript 1 – Chapter 2 Posted first appeared on Craig Maloof.

The second part of chapter 1 of Manuscript 2 has been posted. You can access it by:

• Clicking Manuscript 2 on the toolbar on the top right
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the index page for Manuscript 2
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the second part of chapter 1 for Manuscript 2

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

The post Post 007: Manuscript 2 – Chapter 1 – Part 2 Posted first appeared on Craig Maloof.

Chapter 1 of Manuscript 1 has been posted. You can access it by:

• Clicking Manuscript 1 on the toolbar on the top right
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the index page for Manuscript 1
• Clicking this link, which will take you to Chapter 1 for Manuscript 1

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

The post Post 006: Manuscript 1 – Chapter 1 Posted first appeared on Craig Maloof.

For me, three day weekends are really amazing as they give me the opportunity to focus on myself and my family. I do as much as I can to shut off all the things that I have to do — and focus on the parts that allow me to re-charge and re-energize so I’m ready for the following week. Some of that is watching television + movies (we’ll talk about that on Friday, but I did get a chance to watch Bad Boys 4, Dune Part 2, and started Slow Horses), playing video games (I fired up Starfield for the first time), reading, and doing a bit of writing.

The two stories — which are title less in my mind — are ones that I’ve been workshopping for the past decade. The fantasy story (Manuscript 2) is one that I started outlining probably around 2010 or 2011. I’ve written a full draft of it and am on my second draft of it. It’s a story that I have future ideas for that won’t get covered in the first novel and will explore turning into a series one day.

Each writer is either a plottser or a pantser — meaning you either plot out what you’re going to write or you just write and figure it out as you go. I plot out the big details — the ones that are critical to me while also letting the story itself kind of go where it needs to. I believe the characters, once I start writing them, will start telling me their stories and how they want their story to be told. I know it comes off crazy, but the characters have been living in my mind for a long time before I put them down on paper and thus, they have their own voice, their own personality, their own lives.

I try to capture as much as I can on paper, but there’s always things that never make it there, but are still part of who they are.

The first manuscript — the basketball story — is a more personal story for me and helps me deal with some of the things that I went through growing up. It’s once again a story that I’ve plotted out some of the landmarks along the way, but also give time for detours along the way.

I had no purpose coming into this post, but have kind of revealed my writing style. I’m also more of a move forward kind of writer — worldbuilding has to happen in the flow of the story and I can’t spent time just focused on the worldbuilding without the story building alongside it.

Alright, I’m rambling now. See you tomorrow.

The post Post 005: Happy Labor Day first appeared on Craig Maloof.

This week has been pretty light regarding taking stuff in, but I’ve got a few things I want to shout out.

• Inside Out 2: I finally got to see this movie this week. My wife took our kids earlier in the Summer to see it, but I had to work and had other things to take care of around the house. The first Inside Out is a favorite of my wife’s — and was one of her favorite things to do in Disneyland. It’s a carousel ride there if I remember correctly. Still, I’m also a fan and enjoyed the second one. Pixar knocked it out of the park with this one — twisting the formula of the first one to keep it fresh while still not losing what made it great. The Riley scenes felt better this go around, which provided better balance throughout the movie. I felt like the first movie’s scenes with the emotions were the highlight and this go around, you really got into the story of each ‘world’. Must watch.
• Top Boy: We started watching this show based in East London, which is focused on gang culture. This show came to my radar just recently, and it did not disappoint. The first season of this show is exceptional — produced by the BBC if I’m not mistaken and starts a young Letitia Wright before she made her breakout in Black Panther. She leaves at the end of the first season (disappointingly, since so much of the first season cast returns), which thus far is the strongest of the first two seasons we’ve watched. We’re going to dive into the show’s back half soon — which picks up five years later (and was filmed five years later — the show was done and then came back). It’s an excellent show to pick up, at least for the first two seasons, as it’s a total of eight episodes.
• Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: I read anything that looks interesting. That’s just something I’ve always done in my life, it doesn’t matter. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action, General Fiction, Romance, etc. — if it looks interesting, I’m going to grab it. I picked up her novel during COVID called In Five Years, about a lawyer who has this vision of her life in five years and it’s completely different than what her life is currently. Well, she does another unique twist of a romance novel about a producer’s assistant who receives notes that reveal how long she will stay in a relationship with someone — and the ups and downs that come along with it. Serle writes a book that is easily digestible and fully enjoyable. You are invested in the characters and the story, rooting for her to be with certain people and peeling back the layers of the main character with a few shocks and twists along the way. Great stuff.

Alright, that’s all I got this week. See you on Monday. Have a great one!

The post Post 004: Week 1 Complete first appeared on Craig Maloof.

The first part of chapter 1 of Manuscript 2 has been posted. You can access it by:

• Clicking Manuscript 2 on the toolbar on the top right
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the index page for Manuscript 2
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the first part of chapter 1 for Manuscript 2

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

The post Post 003: Manuscript 2 – Chapter 1 – Part 1 Posted first appeared on Craig Maloof.

The Prologue chapter of Manuscript 1 has been posted. You can access it by:

• Clicking Manuscript 1 on the toolbar on the top right
• Clicking this link, which will take you to the index page for Manuscript 1
• Clicking this link, which will take you to Prologue Chapter for Manuscript 1

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

The post Post 002: Manuscript 1 – Prologue Chapter Posted first appeared on Craig Maloof.

This is where I’ll be posting in-progress drafts of novels I’m currently working on.

Long Story

I’m an author and writer. Over the past 20 years, I’ve dabbled in comics, television, movies, and novels. I’ve written a lot I’ve never shared, and as I get older, I’d like to change that. The purpose of this blog is to share first drafts of the project(s) in progress. You can read them, share your thoughts, and hopefully become invested as we complete the first draft phase and move into editing.

I’ll store all first drafts here. As we finish each draft and I go through the editing process, I’ll share updates, though I won’t share the book until it’s finished. This means the first draft will likely differ greatly from the final product, but you’ll be along for the ride, able to provide input and get early access to the stories I’m working on.

Eventually (not immediately, but in time), I’ll be able to provide the books in either e-book or physical format. As we approach that stage, we’ll discuss more about my plans for a Kickstarter with special editions of the novels—possibly including audiobooks, e-books bundled with physical books, signed copies, etc. I’ll share that process as well. My intent is to self-publish, but we’ll see how things evolve. I believe in self-publishing because it allows me to interact directly with readers and find the best way to share each story.

You’ll get four posts a week here. Mondays and Fridays will feature personal pieces just for this blog—focused on the media I’m consuming, the writing process, etc. It’ll be a personal blog.

Tuesdays and Thursdays will be used to post in-progress manuscripts. I have two manuscripts I’ve been working on for a while now. Manuscript 1 is an adult fiction novel that follows a mixed-race teenager going through high school while on the basketball team. To date, I have over 30,000 words completed on that. Manuscript 2 is an adult fantasy series—I’ll leave it at that for now. I have about 90,000 words completed on that one.

On Tuesdays, I’ll post from Manuscript 1. On Thursdays, I’ll post from Manuscript 2. Each post will be about 1,000 words (give or take, so I’m not cutting off mid-sentence). So, each week, you’ll get the latest part of each novel until I complete the first drafts posted here.

In addition, I’ll be posting on other platforms designed for web novels, hoping to build an audience that enjoys my writing. If you come here from those sites, I invite you to stay and explore everything here, as this will have the latest insights and updates. However you choose to engage with my work, I appreciate it.

See you tomorrow.

The post Post 001: Welcome to the Blog first appeared on Craig Maloof.